Antwerp, the Birthplace of Fashion - Part 1

Why is Antwerp, this Belgian city famous for its diamonds and hosting the second largest port in Europe, sometimes heralded as the “birthplace of fashion?”.

In the 80’s, they set out to the London fashion show in a rented a truck. Countering a restrictive education rooted in Coco Chanel while an era of punk style had emerged, they explain that “of course, when you have that many restrictions, you rebel against them. And that makes things quite interesting.” The graduates of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts took the international fashion scene by storm, presenting a distinct, radical take-off from contemporary fashion – and propelled Belgian fashion onto an international stage.

The Antwerp Six, then and now.

Before crediting this enigmatic hexad with the reason for Antwerp becoming a “birthplace of fashion”, it mustn’t be forgotten that since the Middle-Ages, the metropolis has been at the heart of the textile industry. A symposium of some of the best weavers existed in Flanders, and, as H. Van Werveke describes, a revolution took place: “hitherto cloth-making had been an adventitious activity, to be exercised during the seasons when there was not much else to do; now it was made into a full-time occupation”. This Golden Age led to Antwerp diverging from the styles and customs imposed by Paris, to develop its own fashion identity.

They were Walter Van Beirendock, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee and Dries Van Noten. Martin Margiela is often erroneously cited as one the original six, in effect only an honorary member of the avant-garde fashion collective. Each went on to develop their own label and should be considered allied by their origin and concomitant experiences, rather than allied by their style.