After decades spent shaping silhouettes in the world of fashion, Filip Arickx has turned his creative instincts towards building an entire new universe. With Nightfall, the Belgian designer reimagines intimacy as both a visual and tactile experience, drawing on the same sense of precision, elegance, and provocation that once defined his work at A.F., the conceptual fashion label he co-founded.
Nightfall, in some way, feels like a continuation: a fascination with the body by crafting beauty that doesn’t shy away from desire. In this conversation, Arickx speaks about the emotional thread connecting his past and present work, the creative process behind sculpting pleasure, and the challenges of redefining desire in a luxury context.
Hi Filip! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat. I remember reading that, early on in your fashion career, you worked a lot with lingerie, and that you once described it as a kind of “luxury in times of war.” Do you think that work was already a hint of what would come later with Nightfall? A first step toward designing for pleasure and connection?
Yes and no. Our lingerie collection was also called Nightfall. Perhaps yes, it was a bit of a hint, but at the time I didn’t know. When we had our brand, we were inspired by eroticism and lingerie. We always had to find inspiration in gross stores. I thought maybe it was some kind of mission to bring this out of those stores and into a luxury level, because somehow, no one has done this before.
Most luxury adult toy brands stay within the adult industry. With Nightfall, I wanted to bring that world into lifestyle and fashion spaces (concept stores, design boutiques) so people could discover it in a different, more accessible way. That said, the shift wasn’t entirely separate from my past work.
Most luxury adult toy brands stay within the adult industry. With Nightfall, I wanted to bring that world into lifestyle and fashion spaces (concept stores, design boutiques) so people could discover it in a different, more accessible way. That said, the shift wasn’t entirely separate from my past work.
In your past collections, you often used elements like ropes, belts, plaids, even crosses — materials loaded with symbolism, tension, and ritual. Do you feel those visual languages have carried over into Nightfall, or did this project come from a completely new place for you?
Tradition and ritual were integrated into our previous collections, and now they’re deeply embedded in the DNA of Nightfall as well. It comes from the same person, so there’s a natural connection there. In our fashion collections, we worked primarily with textures and leather; now, with Nightfall, it’s primarily glass and silicone. It’s a different world.
Let’s continue with something simple. Or maybe not so simple, but I think it is a great starting point… What does pleasure mean to you?
I can only define my own. I can’t define how someone else finds pleasure. I’m here to offer toys or objects that can expand or scale other people’s pleasure.
“It’s important for people to talk about their desires and pleasures when they're in a relationship. There’s still too much hesitation around it, and I don’t see why.”
What’s beautiful about Nightfall is that it doesn’t separate design from desire. When did you realise a sex toy could be just as much about aesthetics as sensation? Was your goal making them beautiful?
Yes, I want to make them beautiful. To me, beauty and aesthetics are very closely linked, if you know what I mean. It's very easy to talk about beauty, design, and aesthetics, which is why I think Nightfall can be a source of dialogue between people. The packaging is also beautiful, I don’t know if you’ve seen it.
Yes, it’s incredible, I’m a huge fan! I love that you go beyond the product. Why do you think it’s important to do so? Not just the product but a little bit more, give it something extra.
The packaging is a book, and inside the book there’s also a magazine. Some clients explained to me that they had put the book or the magazine in their library or room, and when people came to visit and saw them, they discovered that they were also part of the Nightfall community. This immediately becomes a topic of conversation, which is what people like.
I think it's important for people to talk about their desires and pleasures when they're in a relationship. There’s still too much hesitation around it, and I don’t see why — it shouldn’t be a problem. These kinds of objects can open up discussions. Maybe through something like a sex book, couples can better understand what they like and how they enjoy sexual activities.
I think it's important for people to talk about their desires and pleasures when they're in a relationship. There’s still too much hesitation around it, and I don’t see why — it shouldn’t be a problem. These kinds of objects can open up discussions. Maybe through something like a sex book, couples can better understand what they like and how they enjoy sexual activities.
The objects feel incredibly sensual, even just to look at them. Some almost feel like a sculpture. What’s your creative process like? Are you thinking in terms of feeling, form, materials?
We have four toys so far. It was very important for me that, along with the design, that quality was also of the highest level. The material we use is borosilicate glass, which is a very safe glass, the kind you use in labs or even in the oven. I’m a glass blower, so I love and know this material.
The vibrator is made with a silicone we developed in-house, and perfecting a version that would remain completely transparent was a significant challenge. Inserting a flower inside and engineering our own motor were also complex parts of the process. For me, this shows that while design is key, ensuring the highest quality is just as important.
The vibrator is made with a silicone we developed in-house, and perfecting a version that would remain completely transparent was a significant challenge. Inserting a flower inside and engineering our own motor were also complex parts of the process. For me, this shows that while design is key, ensuring the highest quality is just as important.
I also wanted to ask, you chose such specific elements, like the flower inside or the peacock feather. How did you decide on those?
I knew exactly the kind of flower I wanted, so I went looking for it. That part was very intuitive. But technically, it was challenging. There were also many things I didn’t know. The vibrator, for example, has seven moulds. That was completely new to me. And once you change one mould, you have to adjust the rest, so the whole process becomes more complex than I expected. Definitely the most difficult piece to create.
Even now, desire, especially female desire, still comes with shame attached. How do you approach that tension? Does it play a part in your creative and design process?
In a sense, yes. The taboo is still a barrier, especially when it comes to promotion. We’re often blocked from using platforms like Google ads and it’s frustrating, because Nightfall is a designer object. But as soon as it's linked to sexuality, it gets censored. That’s the real barrier. That said, younger generations are much more open. They talk about sex easily, then move on. In my generation, it becomes a whole discussion. There’s still a lot that people need to unpack.
If you could imagine a Nightfall in a movie, a painting, or a dream, where would you put it?
I see it a lot in the work of director Wong Kar-wai. His movies are very aesthetic, very sophisticated. They're very conceptual too, but they have a kind of sensuality that's also very important to me.
And lastly, do you have anything exciting coming up?
What’s really good now is that we’re starting with The Standard Hotel. It begins in Brussels, our first step in bringing Nightfall into hotel rooms. It’s a mini-bar concept. So when you open the package, you can use it. You have to buy it, and then you can take it with you.
