A few weeks back I was sitting in the courtyard of a former Augustinian cloister in Antwerp, now a very glamorous hotel. It was a pleasant late-summer evening and I was savouring a steak frîtes so photogenic I had to Instagram it. Shortly afterwards, I received a message: “You’re at the August hotel?”

The message came from local fashion designer Christian Wijnants, who I’d not seen for well over a decade – but by strange coincidence I happened to be wearing one of his sweaters. A miracle? Perhaps just testimony to the enduring appeal of his finely crafted knitwear.