They traveled this path together, an adventure which he describes as magnificent. The couple had the privilege of working for iconic personalities such as Madonna, Sharon Stone, Axel Red, Amélie Nothomb, Yannick Noah, without forgetting Queen Mathilde, Princess Astrid and Princess Delphine. Both have also collaborated with cinema figures like Pedro Almodóvar, for whom Elvis created accessories for one of his films. And even to open several shops in London, Paris, Antwerp and Brussels.
With four decades of experience in a constantly evolving world, the designer has captured the essence of fashion through its creations, and thus capture the constant attention of fashion magazines, especially Vogue.“It’s an exciting job, a busy life”he concludes modestly.
What do we find in your bag?
A pair of glasses, a pair of gloves, a credit card, my tel, which remains my essential, but above all a piece to which I hold a lot, it is my iPad to play scrabble wherever I go, everywhere I am.
How do you move?
On foot or by bicycle. I hate traffic. By car, at worst, when it is necessary, but I do not drive.
What is your beauty routine?
My beauty routine consists above all in taking many vitamins, turmeric, calcium, an anti -stress, vitamins C and D. Eth yes, as we get older. And so, you have to take certain products to rebalance. Every day, I apply 100 protection. Having matte skin, that is to tell you if I pay very attention. In winter, I rather favor 30 protection.
What are your essential addresses?
For lunch, a small Vietnamese restaurant called the Sunflower, Chaussée de Vleurgat in Brussels. For dinner, the Maru, a Korean restaurant wearing Waterloo, but also an Italian Il Baccio, located rue American, still in Brussels. I cook a lot, so I like to eat at the restaurant what I do not realize myself at home. To have a drink, I love terraces. The old Saint-Martin and the Savoy in Brussels. I am a fan of these atmospheres.
Are you desired for a weekend?
Frankly, I really like Brussels, I like to move in this city that I appreciate for its neighborhoods. Or else I go abroad: Sicily, Spain …
The decorative room you like the most at home?
A Hermès seat: a long honey -colored wooden chair made by an artist. It is a room that I love and that perfectly dresses my hall.
The flagship piece of your wardrobe?
I wear small windbreakers declined in all tones every day. I have several, light, transparent, fluorescent. They are in all colors, it’s fun, in summer and in winter. I like to wear them, it’s an integral part of my look. They can be of all brands, but I particularly like K-Way and Prada.
The place where you prefer to walk in Belgium?
I am a fan of the wood of the Cambre, and walk around the abbey of the Cambre also delights me.
Your health/well-being advice.
Sport. I favor walking and cycling, but above all I try to be active all the time with projects to be carried out. For me, it is really essential.
-His follies and his favorites
What is your greatest personal madness?
Contemporary art. It’s true, it’s often very expensive, but I like this artistic current, so I buy and please myself. But it has a price and not everyone can afford it.
The thing you are most proud of?
My life as a couple. I have been with Jean-Pol for 38 years and nowadays it is quite rare, so I am proud, even very proud of this adventure.
The thing you are the least proud of?
I am dyslexic, I can’t read aloud. I tried to heal myself, to heal, but it is not easy.
Admit us a little shame …
I don’t know … come on, as I am very free and very released, I think everything is always possible, so I have vices. Loving sex one? I don’t think so, so my unavoredness is totally admitted in the end. In any case, I am attracted to the beauty of people. Is this too unavowable? I don’t think so either.
The last purchase you are proud of?
It would be this vase of the creator Ai Weiwei of Chinese origin that I bought recently in Venice. He is an artist who achieves sumptuous things. I had a real crush!
What did you do out of love for a man, a woman?
I made a lot of concessions in my work with my customers. So, at one point, I put my job aside to take care of my husband who also needed attention, because he has always done a lot for me. He has always managed everything. I owed him that.
Do you have a refuge place?
Yes, I have a house in Sicily in Syracuse, a small town classified as a UNESCO World Heritage, where I leave at least six times a year, the space of a week. And there, it’s really calm, rest. I see few people. These are three small fishermen’s houses facing the sea where I think of my future projects and where I resource myself.
Creating is what makes me move forward
Today, Elvis Pompilio works in his shop-workshop located on rue Saint-Georges, in Brussels, a space where he gives free rein to his creativity.
He is also in full collaboration with Hermès for an event.
Recently appointed member of the Academy of Arts and Letters, he savor this honor, being the only creator to be part of this prestigious institution.
Finally, he prepares a parade, whose spirit and place are still secret, but which promises to be a new great adventure.
Elvis also teaches in Master Accessories at Cambre, where he transmits his passion and know-how to a new generation of artists. “Without a goal, I do not advance. I have to create events, new collections. This is what makes me move forward.”
At 64, Elvis Pompilio continues to shake up fashion codes, while cultivating an authentic and generous art of living. His journey, his vision, and his energy are a real source of inspiration.
