Latest news with #AntwerpSix
Vogue
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Ann Demeulemeester Resort 2026 Collection
Before being handed the reins at Ann Demeulemeester in 2023, Stefano Gallici—still shy of 30—cut his teeth briefly interning under Haider Ackermann in Antwerp. Call it karma, Antwerp was in the cards. He's now the heir to the queen of the legendary Antwerp Six, stepping into her '90s legacy of poetic, elegant grit. Demeulemeester's signature was always more than fashion; it was a mood, a sound. Through her bond with Patti Smith, she channeled a kind of raw, androgynous, sonic minimalism. Gallici seems to get it — his high-wired bohemia pulses with the frequency of today's music communities. Rumor has it, he and Demeulemeester trade playlists. Gallici is bookish and cool, quoting Kerouac and waxing poetic about West Coast literature; he has also studied the playbook, and he's rewriting it in his own ink. Respectful of the archive, yes, but not quite reverent. He's got the future wide open, and enough swagger to leave his mark. The '90s three-piece silhouette that cemented Demeulemeester's place in fashion's hall of fame has been reimagined more than replicated. Lines are still slender and layered, but structure is more deliberate, with a sense of both control and abandon. Tailoring is now softly oversized, but precise; black and white still has pride of place, but is counterbalanced by a subtle palette of sage, powder pink, and beige. Dévoré velvet calls for romance. Denim, bombers, varsity jackets, bikers, and perfectos are folded into the mix. A wardrobe for the tribes Gallici runs with. 'For Ann, it was the pulse of late-'70s East Coast—CBGB, Max's Kansas City, that downtown grit,' Gallici says. 'For me, it's West Coast—Beat poets, San Francisco, Morrison, Ginsberg, Neal Cassady. That's my language.' He's definitely riffing on his own tempo.
Fashion Network
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Antwerp celebrates young creatives with mega fashion show
In the small barrel there is good wine. A collected, secluded city, but close to the sea and rich in cultural fusion. A melting pot of languages and cultures. Perhaps this is the secret of Antwerp's creative richness. Less in the limelight than major centers such as New York, London, Paris, or Milan, the city of diamonds once again confirms its vocation as a hotbed of ideas. Its fashion, in particular, continues to lead the way on the international creative scene, energizing the style offices of the most important luxury maisons with new life. A true global creative hub, each year Antwerp hosts the end-of-year show of the fashion department of the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts. It is a grand celebration of fashion across the board, from the history of costume and technique to material research and new forms of communication. The event, staged under the direction of the Fdc-Flanders District of Creativity and with financial support from the government and local authorities, reflects the spirit of Antwerp, a city that rejects standardization and where small independent fashion boutiques dominate, leaving no room for large chains or department stores. The moment of the fashion show was preceded by an entire afternoon devoted to presentations of the collections of the 14 final-year students. Young designers ready to pick up the baton from the 'Antwerp Six' (think Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Ann Demeulemeester), who graduated right here in the 1980s before revolutionizing the international catwalks with their unconventional aesthetic. The Expo took place at the academy's headquarters, which can boast in its ranks as former students designers such as Af Vandevorst, Haider Ackermann, and Kris Van Assche, to the more recent Demna Gvasalia (Gucci) and Glenn Martens (Diesel and Maison Margiela). The fashion department is public, and young designers fund their projects independently, but in return, the school offers significant financial prizes, such as the 5,000-euro prize named after Christine Mathys, a Dries Van Noten partner who passed away in the 1990s. "In the Antwerp fashion department, there is a group of young, talent-hungry designers who are challenging the world, who are daring, and who excite me about coming to this department every week to take classes and be a part of what they envision for this world," said Brandon Wen, an alumnus and now the artistic director of the department. More than 120 students paraded inside a maxi hangar on the banks of the Scheldt River on the evening of June 7. Thousands of people flocked to the event that entertained the public for more than four hours. It was a true fashion marathon that opened with the creations of first-year students, who were responsible for the famous case study of skirts. A parade of total-white skirts in a wide variety of shapes gave way to graphic compositions, dominated by soft neon colors in bands, before closing with textured experiments with house-dresses and extra-large volumes. The show continued with a two-act plunge into the past by second-year students. They paraded historical costumes (1600s to 1800s) culminating in sublime dance choreography. A techno soundtrack opens the curtain on the second act and provides a backdrop for dresses 'from the future.' Multi-layering dominates: trench coats over bodices on long bell-shaped skirts. Models sport giant shoulder pads, glittery denim, and headpieces in unusual shapes. The third section is dedicated to world costume. Penultimate year designers draw on the traditions of their home nations as inspiration for their collections. A 40-minute tour of the world, from the Dominican Republic to Japan, via Canada, Brazil, and Poland. Also on the runway is Italian Mauro Cuccuru, with his fashion homage to his homeland, Sardinia. The evening culminated with the highly anticipated show of the 14 masters who performed their works under the watchful eyes of their professors and a prestigious international jury also composed of Italians Stefano Martinetto (CEO Tomorrow Group), Rina Tollio (OTB), and Stefano Gallucci (Ann Demeulemeester). Spain's Mari Albores Lojo walked the runway with a reinterpretation of the Galician tradition. American Emiliano Alvarez Torres brought attention to a new ecological narrative, while Dutch Sybrand Jansen reflected on the relationship between the organic and the infinite. The tension between illusion and reality characterized the proposal of South Korean Anji Jiyoung. Chinese Jaden Xinyu Li was inspired by Alain Badiou's work, "In Praise of Love", and conceived of love as a transformative event. Floran Polano took refuge in childhood memories as an antidote to the adult world. His clothes, in fact, were as enveloping as a parent's embrace of their child. George Underwood's paintings inspired the 'surrealist' woman of Belgian Chloë Reners, while fellow Belgian Annaelle Reudink brought to the runway a colorful homage to existence and the infinite lives that coexist within each of us. Knitwear was at the center of Swiss Lille Schmid's proposal; Indian-born Dutchman Amar Singh evaded realities with fantasy or clown looks. From China's Beliu Song came the study of human error applied to clothing choice. Delara Tavassotti's meticulous and super technical work reflected the tension of a life suspended between present and past, while Paula Van Dijck celebrated superficiality as a tool for anthropological investigation through the use of materials that seduce and protect. Finally, Hoyt Zhang's wardrobe created a comfort zone after the traumas of the pandemic. The show ended after midnight with the catwalk stormed by designers and models who hurriedly gained the end of the hangar amid bursts of confetti and applause from the audience. A pro-Palestinian flag and a sign extolling peace also appeared among the revelers. It was a moment of boundless creativity that transcended the trends or canons of the present and became a spokesman for radically new ideas and aesthetics. An event that benefits from a cultural background rooted in the glorious Antwerp Six and now looking to the next six. Who, among these young designers, will succeed?
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Fashion's most dynamic capital has something for evreyone
The graduate collection from Floran Polano on view at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp The Fashion department of the Antwerp Academy Four decades ago, a group of designers known as the Antwerp Six put Belgian fashion on the map. The city has since become an avant-garde fashion hub—an insider's paradise for those in the know. The appeal of Antwerp, compared to industry capitals like Paris or New York, is that it is niche: a designer's destination. The teasing of a 4-day fashion festival earmarked for 2026 shows the city is on a mission—to carve out a space alongside the top-level competitors on its own terms. The build-up to a full-scale event with presentations and shows in 2026 saw the core organizers—Flanders DC, City of Antwerp, MoMu, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts—host a number of activations from 5-7 June. These included Fashion Talks, a series of industry deep-dives usually held in November; an interactive Fashion Walk around the city which opened studios to the public or paired designers with independent retailers, and of course, the prestigious graduate show from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts' fashion department. 'We are on an upward trajectory but how the sector and consumers operate is changing,' said Koen Kennis, the Alderman for Retail Trade and Tourism at the Fashion Talks event on 5 June. 'We want to make it economically viable but responsible and inclusive.' The impact of the creative industries in Flanders has been documented in a new report from the Department of Economy, Science, and Innovation, painting a picture of volatility. The latest figures show that in 2023, 200 companies had fewer employees than previous years—a drop from 1,250 in 2018 to 1,050. There was also a fluctuation in the number of workers in full-time employment. In 2018, 37,500 companies in the fashion industry had full-time employees. By 2020, this had dropped dramatically to 29,000 —a 'catastrophic loss' of over 8,000 jobs, according to Kennis. Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter, founders of Antwerp brand Bernadette Eva Donckers However, the study had bright spots. By 2023, that figure was back on track with 35,500 in employment. It recorded €1 billion more revenue in 2023 compared to 2018 and €130 million more in added value. The number of self-employed people in Flanders' fashion industry was up too: data found 2,500 more were registered as self-employed in 2023 than in previous years. 'It's still not easy for many and there are a lot of challenges but there is clearly light at the end of the tunnel,' added Kennis. It's clearly punching above it's weight. This potential can be seen in the number of brands with solid businesses in Flanders. Bernadette—the breakout mother-daughter duo of Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter—is a prime example. In five years, it has secured 98 points of sale around the world for its hand-drawn prints, and couture-inspired silhouettes including in China, New Zealand, the US, and Saudi Arabia. A recent expansion into homeware means a towel capsule is on the horizon. 'The way we work is intuitively and emotionally,' explains Charlotte de Geyter in a meet-and-greet at Graanmarkt 13 as part of the Fashion Walk. 'Belgium has a very strong history of fashion. But everyone here has a different point of view, whether that's Ann Demeulemeester or us.' She pointed out that while it's a small city, it has plenty of upsides for designers—from ample space to unhindered time to focus on creativity. Several other women-led brands were presented at various retail spots as part of the mini-tour. Artisanal leather designer Marie Bernadette Woehrl was tucked away in Ganterie Boon—one of Europe's last surviving family-run glove stores. Florentina Leitner showcased a fairytale-inspired installation at textile studio Bakermat; German brand Rundholz gave space to the digital craft of Australian designer Flora Miranda. Designer Tim Van Steenbergen and journalist Ruth Goossens are the founders of socially-driven sustainable label REantwerp Courtesy Flanders DC The inclusion of REantwerp, a socially-driven sustainable atelier, shows the wealth of diversity and creativity in the region. The brainchild of designer Tim Van Steenbergen and journalist Ruth Goossens, it collaborates with the non-profit labor organization GATAM—which stands for Great Distance to the Labor Market—to offer employment to refugees with a background in textiles and making. 'We are giving people a future through fashion,' Van Steenbergen explained from an exhibition in the brand's new home of Kleine Markt 7. This space will double as a store and workspace so customers see the makers when they shop, helping them 'understand the value of the clothes.' Conversely, this set-up will help the newcomers into Antwerp to understand their role in the value chain. As well as coming from war-torn areas like Syria, Palestine, and Ukraine, they often join Van Steenbergen from countries where clothing has been chronically devalued such as Turkey. The weekend drew to a close with the hottest ticket in town: the Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate show. Hundreds of students took to the stage in a 4 hour combined runway presentation. In the show publication, Johan Pas, the Dean of the Royal College's notes upheld this ethos of responsible fashion. Pas argued: 'If we are what we wear, we should take full responsibility in the choice of what we wear,' suggesting that by delegating the crucial functions inherent with the most personal of choices (the creation of the clothes) to people we don't essentially know, we are, essentially, transferring that immense responsibility onto designers. A runway look from the final collection of Annaëlle Reudink at the graduate show from the Fashion department of the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts Andrew Thomas Unusually, the show is open to the public and despite the €50 ticket, draws guests from all over Europe. 2025's MA graduates to watch include Annaëlle Reudink and Floran Polano as well as the equally promising third-year student Carla Lázaro. Brandon Wen, creative director of the fashion department, emphasized the dynamism of Antwerp—a sharp contrast to the industry's current ecosystem, which, he said, only benefits the big conglomerates. Wen is calling for a restructure in favour of those attempting to create an alternative system, one based on idiosyncrasy. Not an easy task. But if there's a city with the vision to rethink a broken framework, it's Antwerp.
Hypebeast
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
LA MUSEUM To Exhibit Vintage Archives of Margiela, Comme des Garçons and More
Summary LA MUSEUM, a virtual museum founded by LAILA, will be holding their second physical exhibition in Shibuya running from June 14 to June 29. Following the success of their debut show 'Villa in the Forest' — an exclusive event limited to just 30 guests — 'LA MUSEUM SHIBUYA' acts as a second part of their exhibition marks a shift. Still free of charge, it will now be open to the public via access through the LA MUSEUM app. This time, the spotlight is on fashion from the 1980s onward, featuring iconic works by Japanese designers such asComme des Garçons,Yohji YamamotoandIssey Miyake, as well as international icons likeHelmut Lang,John Galliano,Alexander McQueenand members ofthe Antwerp Six. Highlights include two rare sketchbooks detailing the design process behind the Spring/Summer 1993 and Fall/Winter 1993 to 1994 collections, alongside a screening of a video work first presented atLafayette Anticipationsin Paris in October 2021. The exhibition will also showcaseMaison Martin Margiela'scollections from his debut through 1999, with key pieces from each season. With such a rich lineup, LA MUSEUM's upcoming exhibition promises an unforgettable deep dive into fashion history — and possibly even more to anticipate. LA MUSEUMB1F, Token-Nagai Building2-12-24 Shibuya, Tokyo
