Artistic director for the four SMETS stores in Luxembourg, and for the STEMS boutique and art gallery in Brussels, Pascaline Smets sees no distinction between art-to-wear and ready-to-collect.
Luxembourg-based family group SMETS made its 4,000 m² concept store in Strassen the flagship of a company that has been constantly evolving for 40 years, valuing the perfectly balanced encounter between cutting-edge design and a keen sense of commercial curation.
A women’s and a men’s boutique, each one with a distinct identity strengthened every season, in addition to the beauty space located in the city centre, extend the Smets family’s avant-garde vision. At 42, Pascaline, the founders’ daughter, has been responsible for purchasing the collections distributed in Luxembourg and in the Brussels boutique for the past twenty years. Her role includes trend research, selection, curation, brand mix, acquisitions and partnership development. I manage the creative aspects of the company, but I’m also involved in strategy, budgets, payment plans, and recruitment for key positions.
A frequent traveller by necessity and curiosity, fond of contemporary art, she knows how to invest in the talents that will change the fashion landscape. Over the years, Pascaline has often been the first to believe in the vision of newcomers. She has invested in their collections like one bets on young artists, supporting brands from the production of the first garments that would soon position them in the highly desirable luxury niche. Juggling discerning with benevolence, it is this business mindset that places her in Business of Fashion’s ranking of the 500 most important figures in international fashion.
Fashion, art, lifestyle, repeat
In the large concept store, which includes gourmet restaurant Beefbar, helmed by monegasque chef Riccardo Giraudi, the selection blends rare luxury brands, home design, art for sale, and a permanent exhibition of the entire family collection, in addition to works by guest artists.
Alaïa and Balenciaga rub shoulders with Gucci, The Row, and Lemaire, but also Casablanca and alainpaul, offering more alternative options: “Even though I love the creative aspect, I can’t lose sight that I’m responsible for a business and salaries of dozens of employees; I must ensure profitability. It’s necessary to balance trendsetting fashion and brands that remain luxurious yet more mainstream. In markets like Luxembourg or Brussels, I can’t afford as many extravagances as I would in a context that’s very open to conceptual avant-garde.”
In the Beauty department, SMETS targets niche brands and up-and-coming labs. “I select emerging brands, as well as big names previously absent from Luxembourg, like Byredo. I’m constantly looking for new and innovative offerings, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese brands, but also American ones.”
Unveiling the avant-garde of fashion, while maintaining a more classic clientele.
Pascaline spends 80% of her time travelling, but manages to combine this demanding schedule with her family life: mother of a young child, she counts on the support of her partner, artist and art director, who accompanies her and their toddler on her explorations. “I visit all the showrooms, I attend as many fashion shows as I can. I travel to practically every fashion week, not just the major ones in Paris and Milan.” She also goes out of her way to meet young designers, to spot trends that might otherwise escape her. “When it comes to the final selection, I still have to consider what will sell in my market: we remain a family business, entirely self-financed. Therefore, I can’t afford to buy pieces that are unwearable.”
“We remain a family business, entirely self-financed”
She chooses collections that are interesting, innovative, and in line with trends, but at a price accessible for Luxembourg or Brussels. The biggest purchasing budgets are reserved for established brands like Moncler or Stone Island. She allocates budget to new brands to test their potential like Satisfy Running. And she has also brought in brands from Los Angeles and Japan, such as Dark Park, Play Hollywood, and Satoshi Nakamoto, as well as Rivington Roi Rebis, based in New York. “I control the budgets for these new brands, and when I take risks, they are kept to a minimum.”
From the shop windows to the gallery walls
Pascaline Smets points out that while there’s no direct commercial link between the boutiques and the STEMS Gallery, which she opened in Brussels with her brother Guillaume, brands frequently propose collaborations with artists: “We can showcase artists from the gallery, we lend our space to brands for activations, we create cultural bridges.”
Even though her professional life is full of encounters, Pascaline prefers discoveries in small groups. She intersperses visits to artists’ studios between her showroom appointments and sets aside time during her travels for museums and foundations. “Selecting a new artist for the gallery is more creative and less risky. With fashion collections, you commit cash flow; you own the stock. When it comes to collaborating with an artist, you bear all the costs of the effort and the creation of the exhibition, but if you don’t sell all the works, you return them, and your cash flow isn’t tied up in inventory value.”
When Galerie Stems signs an artist, the goal is to develop their career and reputation, to increase their visibility. “We launched the gallery in 2015 and discovered artists like Tyrrell Winston and Olivier Souffrant, who now have established and successful careers. They remain key artists for the gallery, and we consistently manage to place them in very fine collections.”
The Art of Diversification
According to Pascaline, 2026 has a more positive energy than at the same time last year. Luxembourg remains the boutique’s largest market, but in Brussels, its figures are up compared to 2025. “That’s why I recently added desirable but more accessible brands to our selection, such as Sœurs, with its very interesting art direction and truly creative vision.” Starting this spring, the Smets Group will further diversify its Luxembourg activities with the opening of Matsuri restaurant, a French chain specialising in sushi. At the same time, Beefbar is opening new licences and SMETS is adapting to lifestyle trends.
This article was published in the 9th edition of Forbes Luxembourg.
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