Enfnts Terribles

Chris Bogaert is usually always extremely busy and isn’t home a lot because there’s nothing he loves more than travel. Even though he isn’t used to stay at one place for a long time, he took this opportunity to work on his craft. Besides learning how to design clothes, he started his solo music project Bimmerbøy and is ready to totally launch himself in 2021. He’s also signed as a model with IMM Brussels and designs his own clothing. On behalf of Tommy Jeans, we invited Bogaert to Brussels to talk about his new plans and about his life as a model.

You’re a model, singer, and designer and always keep yourself busy. How did you experience the last couple of months where you were obligated to stay home?

When the lockdown in Belgium happened, I was in America where everybody was very relaxed about the whole situation. When I came back, I actually enjoyed staying home and took the time to relax, start with new ideas, and find myself. However, that changed after some time, and I slightly went crazy.

To be honest, I don’t like to stay in Belgium for a long time because I love to travel a lot since it’s part of my job as a model, but the lockdown motivated me to start designing and create more music. One morning, I woke up and decided that I needed a new computer for all these music programs. I went to the Apple Store and bought a computer to work on music and follow designer classes. If the lockdown didn’t happen, I’m sure that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.

You started teasing your first musical solo project Bimmerbøy. What is your game plan for that?

I started this project because I had the time and because Jake and I were thinking of the route we wanted to take. I discovered that I won’t stick to just one genre and will involve a lot of different cultures in my sound. I have something in Spanish coming up, but I might also possibly bring an ode to Nigeria with some afro-vibes. It’s more experimental compared to what I used to make and was a little bit out of my comfort zone at first. I’ve found myself, I think.

What does Bimmerbøy actually stand for?

It was a long thought process before I had my moniker, but then I found Bimmerbøy. Bimmer stands for BMW because the first car I ever bought was a dark BMW with tinted windows that I bought in the US. My own brand will be called bøy, so I added that to Bimmer and my stage name was born.

Did your work as a model or your influence from a musical aspect cause that evolution?

I was inspired by the fashion I saw, my friends, the internet, etc. but I’m not 100% sure where I took my big steps. I just know that I’m feeling well and evolved as a person. I never really thought about taking over someone else’s style and tried to find my own identity.

As a designer, do you try to put a lot of personality in your own clothes or are you designing for another target group?

I have a brand together with Jake, Jorgi, and Tony called Malfunction, where I really collaborate with them and think about stuff that could work, but I’m also starting to design on my own. I don’t have anything physical yet, but I’ve sketched a lot already. For my own designs, I really make things that I want to wear, and I believe that if you truly stand behind your ideas that someone will rock with it, cause there’s a costumer for everything.

2020 was a year where you refined your crafts. What do you have up your sleeves next?

Next month, I’m planning to release my first song “Let’s Chill” as Bimmerbøy together with Jake Marcelo. We decided to leave our artist name Twelve behind because we concluded that Twelve isn’t the best name to use in the US since it’s police-related. Further, the production of the first collection of our brand starts this week and will hopefully drop in January.