The House of Gigi
About the Maison.
It started with one dog.
On Easter Monday in 2016, I drove to Nieuwegein. There, I met her for the first time. Four months old. A beige puppy with green eyes, ears far too big, and a look that immediately told me she was coming home with me.
Some encounters can't be explained.
You just feel that someone belongs with you.
I had that feeling from the very first moment.
Together, we experienced the most beautiful years in the south of the Netherlands.
We walked endlessly, discovered new places, and created memories that still feel like they happened yesterday.
Until love brought us to Belgium, to Antwerp.
I thought I would only change houses.
But eventually, my heart changed too.
Antwerp didn't just become the city where I lived.
It became the city where I felt at home.
The city where I could get lost for hours without ever losing my way.
Where every walk felt different.
Where a cappuccino on 't Zuid could be just as beautiful a moment as a visit to Het Steen or an afternoon at Sint-Anneke.
And everywhere we went... there were dogs.
Not just any dogs.
Dogs that were truly a part of their owners' lives.
The city brought us more than just a new home.
Antwerp gave us more than beautiful streets, unique interiors, and endless walks. It gave us a place where we could be ourselves.
When the world suddenly came to a standstill during Corona, I decided to do something that was actually only meant for us. I started documenting her daily adventures on Instagram. Simply because I wanted to show the world who she really was. Not to become famous, but to show a different image of a breed about which many prejudices still exist.
Because behind the name pitbull, I never saw what others saw.
I saw a dog who thought every camera was pulled out especially for her. A dog who put on her most beautiful smile as soon as I picked up my phone. Who preferred cuddling to guarding, posing to barking, and treated every walk as if it were her own catwalk.
Slowly, more and more people started watching.
Not just for Gilera, but for the feeling she radiated.
Friendships with other dog moms emerged. We met up in Antwerp, walked through the city together, discovered new places, and also supported each other during times when life became a little more difficult.
It was then that I realized that Gigi in Antwerp would never just be about dogs.
It would be about the people behind the leash.
About women who see their dog as family.
Who go for coffee together in Zuid, plan a weekend getaway, walk for hours through the city, or simply enjoy the small moments together.
Because ultimately, those are the memories that last.
And it was precisely for those women, and for their dogs, that I wanted to create a brand.
One day, everything fell into place. The city we had fallen in love with, the community that had given us so much, and a dog who had been the face of that story all along. Suddenly, I knew what that world should be called.
Gigi in Antwerp.
I didn't want to create an ordinary pet shop. I wanted to build a world.
A world where design, dogs, and daily life converge. A world that feels to me the way Antwerp feels: elegant, warm, a little quirky, and full of character. Where a stroll through the city can be just as inspiring as opening a new package.
A place where a dog bed can be as beautiful as the rest of your interior. Where a collar is not just practical, but becomes part of your daily style. Where dog and dog mom discover the city together and fit together as perfectly as their favorite coffee shop and their regular walk.
Because for me, dogs have never just been pets.
They are part of the family: on holidays, at sidewalk cafes, on city walks. In the small moments that turn out to be the most beautiful memories later on.
That's why we only select products that we ourselves fall in love with. Products that I would undoubtedly choose for my own dog.
And in the meantime, we keep dreaming.
Of Maison Gigi.
Maison Gigi is the next step in our dream. Our own collection where we no longer just select products, but create them ourselves. From matching outfits to timeless essentials that radiate the same elegance as the city that inspired us.
Just like Gilera and I have done all these years together.
