Late last year, Belgian designer Raf Simons announced the closure of his eponymous brand, which has for decades been synonymous with youth culture and fashion’s avant-garde. Less than two weeks later, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, the buzzy Paris-based designer, was appointed to lead the storied Belgian house of Ann Demeulemeester. The news rejuvenated interest in the brand that once rocked Paris catwalks with its poet-warrior look but had lost its footing since Demeulemeester herself retired.
Both announcements were turning points in the much larger Cinderella story of the small European country that has produced a stunning number of creative contributions to fashion history. From OGs like Martin Margiela and Dries Van Noten to Simons and his disciples Pieter Mulier and Matthieu Blazy (who now head Alaïa and Bottega Veneta, respectively) as well as recent graduates like Marine Serre, for decades Belgium has continued to produce top-notch talent. How and why did this happen?
The Antwerp Six
In 1986, a group of six young fashion designers based in Antwerp loaded up a van with their designs and headed to a London fashion fair. It was the first time they had presented their work to an international audience. With virtually no money, and just one model between them, the first day was a disaster. Not wanting to spring for the most expensive booths, they ended up on the fair’s second floor among the bridalwear, and not, as they had hoped, next to Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano.
On the second day, they made stenciled fliers that read “Come and see the six Belgian designers” and began handing them out at the fair’s entrance. It worked. Barneys, the trailblazing New York department store, put in an order with each designer that would introduce them to the American market. The journalists — whose first question was, “You are from where?” — struggled with the designers’ Flemish names. One of the party blurted out: “Just call us the Antwerp Six.”
Word…
Read the full article here
