Having no less than 20 years of experience as a costume designer, Lies Van Assche decided she wanted to do something more for society, and this was the beginning of DOEK.

DOEK has several functions and capacities:

• It offers people with experience in the textile sector who are new to Belgium the opportunity to work in the studio. DOEK wants introduce newcomers to the field  of Belgian cultural production so they get the chance to meet people and to get to know projects from the Belgian cultural sector. This enables them to build their own network.
• Young designers that, for instance, need prototypes, can also call on the services of DOEK.
• On top of that, DOEK functions as a full-fledged costume maker.
• The studio is, moreover, a perfect example of how to keep the production local.
• In collaboration with City Lab 2050, DOEK has launched a project that involves reusing (upcycling) the hotel uniforms of the Antwerp Radisson Blu Astrid hotel as waiter aprons.
• To conclude, DOEK also organizes workshops for kids to familiarize them with artisanal techniques such as Afghan embroidery. These techniques are obviously taught by the newcomers that learned them in their country of origin.