La tirette

Styling by Jan Dendievel

A tirette or zipper is what keeps certain parts of your outfit together. Sometimes it’s a quirky accent, suggestive, bold and cheeky. Scrolling through Jan’s portfolio, you’ll see why ‘La Tirette’ is a name befitting the man and stylist that is Jan Dendievel. Because an image comes together, once Jan steps into the frame.

Colourful, bold but warm, eclectic and inspirational to say the least. Jan lives in the vibrant city center. The remarkable bel-etage also doubles as his office. He’s surrounded by passers-by, materials and objects that inspire him on a daily basis. City life, day or night, people of all shapes, sizes and ages, continuously float in and out of his gaze. A gaze that never loses track of the new and upcoming generation. And with observation comes creation.

Jan has been creating for 20 years. It never crossed his mind to do anything else than ‘work in fashion’. He dipped his toe in the fashion designer-pool but quickly realized it was too static. He needed more interaction, to go from place to place.

He started with La Tirette Styling following his studies at Saint-Lucas in Tournai and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent. “One day an acquaintance of mine called. He owned a record company and needed a stylist for a singer”, Jan recalls. And that was that. He went, he styled, he fell in love with every aspect of the job.

Today Jan is one of the most versatile stylists around. Commercial, fashion, music videos, films and series … He has a way with all of them. His formula? “Listen to your customer. Really listen. I take in the scenery, the character or model or person I’m styling. I implement some of my personal style too. As long as it all fits together and the customer’s DNA is highlighted.”

Two decades after founding La Tirette Styling, it is now a company of three. Xavier Buysschaert and Julie De Rouck work as a well zipped-up team alongside Jan. Xavier as Jan’s right hand in styling, Julie managing all things communication and scheduling.