You can’t visit the Belgian city of Antwerp without fashion on your mind. It is, of course, home to the “Antwerp Six”, the name given to the group of highly influential Belgian fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts between 1980 and 1981. It was made up of luminaries Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Marina Yee, and they gained international prominence in the late 1980s after showcasing their avant-garde designs in London. Van Noten became known for his eclectic, layered and richly patterned collections, while Ann Demeulemeester’s work often featured a poetic, dark and romantic aesthetic. Van Beirendonck was a provocateur, Bikkembergs the explorer of a sportier pocket of modern masculinity, while Yee became known for her sustainable and artisanal qualities. Their legacy lives on strong in Antwerp, where the cool crowd still explores an experimental and eclectic fashion consciousness. So, if you’re heading that way, be prepared to play with colours and silhouettes, and above all, have fun with it! (And if you want to know where to shop the best vintage finds, The Next Hour’s editor-in-chief Scarlett Baker can point you in the right direction.)
For Her
For Him
Ryan Thompson is a UK-based menswear and lifestyle writer, whose work has appeared in, among others, the Financial Times, Mr Porter, The Rake and Ape to Gentleman
