Scabal opens its Brussels atelier as gallery for emerging artists

Scabal’s Brussels headquarters became a living canvas last evening as the venerable tailor opened its doors to celebrate the second vernissage of The Studio, an artist in residence programme shaped by the curatorial vision of Pascale van Zuylen. The evening brought together the art community to witness a convergence of contemporary practice and bespoke craftsmanship, each speaking to the other across decades of devoted attention to detail and beauty.

The offices presented new works by Lawrence Calver, Shi Yiran and Zoé Numan, displayed alongside pieces from Scabal’s own art collection, including earlier works by resident artists and a carefully preserved selection by Salvador Dalí. This layering of creation, established masters alongside emerging voices, created a dialogue between periods and practices, all contained within the walls of a house known for the precision of its tailoring and the discretion of its craft.

The evening reached a crescendo with a live painting performance by Yann Laissy, known professionally as Pache. His spontaneous gestures and urgent colour became the evening’s centrepiece, a counterpoint to the measured contemplation that usually governs the spaces where Scabal’s cutters work their cloth into form. The artist’s energy transformed the corporate gallery into something altogether more vital, a reminder that creation takes many languages.

What distinguishes The Studio is its commitment to embedding artistic practice within the rhythms of a working house. Rather than relegating art to separate institutional spaces, Scabal has chosen to fold it into its own headquarters, allowing emerging talents to share oxygen with the ateliers where bespoke tailoring continues as it has for generations. This is patronage of a particular kind: not ornamental, but structural, built into the fabric of how the house conducts itself.

Imagery courtesy of Scabal (@scabal).