Paris, Milan, London, Antwerp, …, in terms of fashion and haute couture design, Belgian fashion designers have nothing to envy to the famous French or Italian houses. Highlighted in the 1980s, with the very private “6 d’Anvers” club, Belgian creation quickly rose to the rank of a stronghold of European fashion. With their avant-garde, non-conformist and visionary pieces, which today invade the catwalks of the biggest international fashion shows, the designers of the flat country export themselves all over the world. The key to their success? Bold personalities, a strong identity that is deliberately far from trends, as well as a fierce desire to deliver a message through unique and exclusive creations. But who are these fashion artists who contribute to Belgium's international renown? From the first wave of the 70s to the new talents of the 2020s, zoom in on the 5 Belgian fashion designers who inspire and fascinate us .
@dries van noten via Vogue
Together with Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee, Dries Van Noten form the “6 d’Anver club. s» (they were so nicknamed by the British press), true pioneers of the international success of Belgian fashion in the 80s. wear discreet, refined and elegant , which contrast radically with the brilliant and flashy universe of haute couture as we know it. It is also a style that has always given pride of place to interbreeding , to humanism , and poetry , as evidenced by the rave reviews from fashion journalists at the end of each show.
Independent, Dries Van Noten wants to remain so absolutely. Also, when the company joined the portfolio of the Spanish group Puig (Jean Paul Gaultier, Paco Rabanne, Nina Ricci, etc.), the Belgian designer retained his position asartistic director , as well as the headquarters, still based in Antwerp.
@RafSimons
Revealed at the end of the 90s, Raf Simons is part of what is known as the "second wave" of Belgian fashion designers , which appeared after the precursors of the “6 of Antwerp”. During this period, creators with a leg recognizable among a thousand came out to be found in the most fashionable concept stores of the moment, such as Noconcept for example, but Raf Simons remains undoubtedly the most renowned of them worldwide. Juggling both the world of luxury and ready-to-wear, Raf Simons created his works at Maison Dior (he notably succeeded John Galliano), but also at Calvin Klein . Since April 2020, he has worked as co-artistic director at the Italian house Prada. An architect by training, he stands out above all for his minimalist, modern, and refined creations , which he does not conceive without art, whatever its form (music, jewelry, architecture, photography, poetry, street arts, …).
@La Maison Natan
Its director, the famous couturier Edouard Vermeulen , despite defending itself, the Maison Natan is a particularly popular sewing workshop among the royal and princely families of Europe. It must be said that for more than 35 years, the house has participated in the vast majority of events of the Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg aristocracy. At the same time, Maison Natan also remains an emblematic fashion company of Belgian society, firmly integrated into the local couture and ready-to-wear landscape, and which carefully maintains its independence from large international groups. The Natan style is above all perfectly crafted cuts, impeccable finishes, raw materials of unrivaled quality, elegant haute couture details, and indisputable know-how.
@La Maison Natan
@Delvaux
Founded in Brussels in 1829, even before the founding of the Belgian nation (1930), Delvaux is proud to hold the title of oldest leather goods house in the world and has nothing to envy to French leather goods brands. For nearly two centuries, the prestigious company, a veritable institution in the flat country, has exhibited its pieces in fashion shows around the world, from New York to Tokyo, via London and Beijing. Like its emblematic “Brillant” bag, made from 38 pieces of black calfskin, Delvaux offers unique, minimalist and refined creations, the fruit of ancestral know-how and an absolute quality requirement.
@Anthony Vaccarello
Artistic director of the prestigious Yves Saint Laurent house since 2016 , Anthony Vaccarello perfectly embodies the avant-garde and innovative spirit of the new wave of Belgian fashion designers. Through deliberately androgynous and uninhibited proposals, the young Belgian artist imposes his taste for masculine-feminine lines , the executive woman style, and classic cuts. It is he, too, who brings up to date the mythical tuxedo for women, a piece entirely created by Yves Saint Laurent himself. With Gioia Seghers or Cédric Charlier, Anthony Vaccarello is part of the fourth generation of Belgian designers , young, talented, inspired…and inspiring.
