Belgian fashion becomes more interesting when you stop looking for a single Belgian look. The Antwerp Six share a place in fashion history, but their work offers individual answers to how clothes can express a point of view. For anyone browsing a collection or a vintage rail, that is a useful alternative to buying by logo alone.
Begin with six names
Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee became associated with the Antwerp Six. MoMu traces their international breakthrough to the British Designer Show in London in 1986. Their shared background and recognition did not turn their subsequent careers into one uniform style.
Look closely at one garment
The archival Dries Van Noten dress illustrated here is a practical starting point. Rather than asking only who made it, look at the print, the fabric and the way the garment is constructed. Ask what gives it presence when the label is out of sight.
Use a museum as a reference library
MoMu’s collection presentation provides context for Belgian fashion and the rise of the Antwerp Six. It offers a way to explore clothes as designed objects before deciding what you like wearing. Check the museum’s current collection and visitor information if planning a trip; a collection presentation and a temporary exhibition are not the same offer.
Bring the idea back to your wardrobe
Choose an element you respond to: a shape, a relationship between colours, an unusual fabric or the way a sleeve changes a silhouette. Then ask whether it works with clothes you already use. You do not need to dress like an archive display. The benefit of looking more carefully is learning to recognise a design choice you enjoy, rather than treating every celebrated name as an instruction to buy.
Read more
An Antwerp day trip for fashion art and books · More fashion & beauty
Make more of life in Belgium. Subscribe to the Together newsletter.
