10Y KOMONO

10 years of creating coveted accessories

Time is a relative concept. Anton Janssens, the energetic co-founder and CEO of Komono, experiences this shifting sensation day-to-day, and year-to-year. This was especially true during this past decade, when he built Komono, the Antwerp accessories brand specialized in eyewear and watches that he founded together with Raf Maes.

As one of Antwerp’s fastest growing start-up businesses, it goes without saying that Komono came into being out of their enthusiasm, excitement and passion to create a contemporary brand. Today, Komono is an international name with a bold market position.

“Growth is great”, says Janssens, “but it was never our goal to be the biggest.” After 10 years, he’s determined to guard the pureness with which he started and keen to hold on to the fundamental values that are the essence of Komono. “Our goal is to become even better, translate who we are even more clearly. Our vision is what drives us: to create contemporary and inclusive fashion from Antwerp that pushes for progression and captures the zeitgeist.”

Daring designs and creative collaborations are what makes Komono tick. For Summer 2019, reach for the eyewear made by a selection of fashion students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, or go for the anniversary collection of watches with playful prints that reference some of Komono’s early hits.

Komono’s current position within the accessories scene is the result, also, of Janssens’ growing conviction that instinct is crucial. “Today, I listen to my gut feeling with more confidence”, he tells. “I don’t limit my creativity or care what others think.” When it comes to innovative or downright outré models, he’s certain: “Internationally, it’s especially those eye-catching frames that resonate.”

The making of a brand like Komono doesn’t happen overnight. “I learned that long-term success has a lot to do with how you deal with failures; how you translate them into something positive”, says Janssens. After a swift 10 years of fast and organic growth, Janssens still continually asks himself: ‘what’s next?’. “In this business of fashion the pace is so fast, there’s hardly time to think”, he muses. “At Komono, we live in the now, with our gaze directed towards the future.”