Nanook Cools (°1994) is quirky, colourful, a little chaotic and endlessly curious. Fashion has been her playground for several years. She studied at the Academy of Sint-Niklaas.
In 2022, she won the LolaLiza Fashion Contest, after which her design was put into production and sold throughout Belgium. This gave her a first glimpse into the commercial fashion world and further fuelled her interest in ready-to-wear. A few years later, she was a finalist at the Bilbao International Art & Fashion Contest and nominated as Most Promising Graduate at the Belgian Fashion Awards with a collection made from medical waste, inspired by her experience with type 1 diabetes.
In addition to her own projects, Nanook also gained experience as a costume designer for productions by Scala Choir, Douglas and Tomorrowland, among others. In 2024, she organised her first pop-up in Antwerp, marking the beginning of the further development of her ready-to-wear label. Shortly afterwards, she was selected for Flanders DC's Mentor Track programme. In 2025, she also secured a spot on Flanders DC's 20 to Watch list.
Her style stands out with clashing colours, bold prints, cartoon-like characters and humour with a message. Always starting from personal stories, Nanook translates fear, illness and chaos into designs that flirt with the absurd while celebrating imperfection and creativity.