About Merci Marie

1982 – Meet the first Marie

The first six years of my life, I lived in Burundi. I grew up with the most fashionable lady of Bujumbura: Adele, lovingly named Bibi who was my grandmother (on the left). She was a proud woman who dared to think different, and look different. 

She passed these traits on to her daughters, my aunts Maggie and Emme, and my biological mother Marie-Salomé. Bibi took care of me and my sister when my mother died. All the memories I have about living with my grandmother are related to clothing. Her colourful African clothes, her Singer sewing machine… with the little she had she would always make sure we looked perfectly neat. I am incredibly grateful to my grandmother, my aunts and the woman who gave me life: Marie-Salomé. Merci Marie.

2005 – My friends’ fashion stylist

My tribe of friends was founded back in the early nineties. At the age of 13 we became inseparable and still are.  I love shopping with my friends. Even after I move abroad, we keep meeting regularly to go shopping in Antwerp, Brussels or Paris. I just love browsing around with them in small  boutiques that sells original items. Through them I discovered that I loved picking clothes for them, especially the ones they would never pick. Slowly but surely, I started advising them on what to wear and after ending my Style and Colour advice studies I was officially pronounced the Stylist of the group. ( But don’t get me wrong this bunch really doesn’t do everything I ask them to do. They’re a though crowd and that’s why I love them even more)

Every day they inspire me to explore fashion and style further, essentially helping me create Merci Marie. They’re my biggest fans and I am theirs.

Merci Ty, Katrien, Eefke, Tamara, Leen, Tessie en Rein!

2023 – You’re here!

Welcome to the home of Merci Marie. Happy you’re here!

As a historian, I love digging into other people’s pasts, but somehow, it took a long time for me to look into my own history. Only after I had kids and moved to Johannesburg with my family, I looked harder at my African roots. I was ready to discover my full story and share it with the world.

I experimented with fashion, combined European styles with African fabrics. And the reactions of people who saw the results were amazing. Merci Marie was born.