The Antwerp Six – The Famous Group That Never Formally Existed
London in 1986 – a group of young Belgian designers show up at a designer fair, all their designs crammed in a van, they drove across the canal in the hopes of finding buyers. They achieved more than that – they young group quickly became known as the Antwerp Six and their designs were soon available at Barneys, Bergdorf’s and Liberty of London. “Antwerp Six” as a label may imply that there was some kind of official collaboration between them. But these designers actually pursued their careers individually, they actually never formally designed together. Nevertheless, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, Dirk Van Saene and Walter Van Beirendonck became the “Antwerp Six” – and to many, this label is more familiar than all the names of the six individual designers.
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Who “Invented” the Antwerp Six?
All paths lead to a famous shoe boutique in Antwerp called Coccodrillo, founded by Gert Bruloot and Eddy Michiels in 1983 and which was a favourite by several of the Antwerp Six. Bruloot is often credited as the person who connected the six designers and encouraged them to head to London. They rented a van and went to London and participated in the British Designer Show at Olympia in 1986. Technically, it was only five of them: Ann Demeulemeester did not join them as she was pregnant at the time. But their flyer, presumably designed by Marina Yee, featured all six designers and said “The SIX Belgian Designers”. There are various versions about the origins of the label “The Antwerp Six”. Some say it was the press, as the English-speakers had difficulties pronouncing the Belgian names correctly. The source of the label will probably stay a mystery.[1]
One interesting fact: Martin Margiela was not part of this initial group – now some of you may be surprised that he actually is Belgian – yes, he is. At the time, he was working for Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris where he had joined in 1984. But he was part of the same class as the Antwerp Six. Some call it the Antwerp Six +1.[2]
Historical Background
The Antwerp Six started during and benefited from a special time period. It was the 1980s – the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War were imminent, Margaret Thatcher was ruling the UK with her iron fist and Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. HIV/AIDS was on the rise and despite a rise in economic prosperity in many countries, there was social unrest.
It is particularly interesting to look into art and fashion in times like that. Hendrik Opdebeek, head of menswear for Belgium’s landmark boutique STIJL in Brussels, said in an interview with AnOther Magazine:
“Negativity existed in the period. People had to create something to fight against that – to create their own worlds.”[3]
Fashion allowed people to escape. Looking at this with today’s lens, there may be parallels to what we are experiencing right now.
Let’s look to London, where the Antwerp Six had their breakthrough: Subculture was more than a “thing” and the city was bustling with creativity. Graduates from the Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion reflected that in their designs and, with that, broke all the rules of established fashion. For the longest time, Paris had been “the” fashion capital of Europe. But this was about to change. (You can read more about this in the article about the History of Fashion Week). London had positioned itself more and more as a hub of fashion. This had long started before the 1980s. Swinging London in the 1960s was not only the epicenter for fashion but for culture as well. And this solidified until the times of the Antwerp Six. In the 1980s, London started a huge campaign in the fashion space and this also involved the formal establishment of London Fashion Week.
The Antwerp Six were hugely successful internationally but also very important for local fashion in Belgium.
The Antwerp Six had their breakthrough in London, but they would not have been able to succeed in Britain without a solid foundation provided by their home country. Change swept over the canal and Antwerp was very receptive for the new movements in fashion design. At the time, Antwerp was probably not considered a “fashion hub”, but it had a long tradition in textiles due to its linen industry. Nevertheless, this industry was facing a decline in the 1980s and Antwerp knew it could not just sit on its laurels of the past. Hence, Willem Clales, the then-Minister of Economics of Belgium, started the “Textile Plan”. Together with the Belgian Institute for Textiles & Fashion, several campaigns were launched, among them the “Golden Spindle” competition. The goal was to connect young, local designers and established brands or companies. It comes as no surprise that the designers of the Antwerp Six (+1) also won this competition. It is clear that in the case of Antwerp, despite the global political and economic environment, there was money in fashion, initiatives to promote fashion in Belgium and an opportunity for young talent. Without this groundwork, participating in a designer show in London would not even have been an option.[4]
London was the logical destination for the Antwerp Six to take their careers a step further, especially internationally. But we should not underestimate the local demand for their designs. Sonja Noël, the founder of STIJL, said in an interview with AnOther Magazibe that the Antwerp Six responded to the zeitgeist – there were Japanese, French and Italian designers, but especially younger people were looking for something which catered more to the local taste. According to her, Belgian wanted “nine-to-nine dressing” – an outfit which can be worn at work but also to go out afterward. The Antwerp Six were an antidote to the power-dressing by designers like Thierry Mugler or Claude Montana and their exaggerated silhouettes which were so popular in the 1980s. The designs of the Antwerp Six probably felt more practical or realistic.[5]
London was not the only place with a subculture: Antwerp was bustling as well and the parties at the Café D’Anvers or at warehouses, often organized by students, could compete with those in London. Soon, a generational movement would form out of this student community, with their own style and interests.[6]
A Group with Individual Paths
It is interesting that competition does not seem to have been a big topic among the six designers (or seven if we include Margiela – at least that is what it looks like today. We can assume that there was healthy competition between them which benefited the whole development of Belgian fashion. Some of the six are more famous than others. But irrespective of their fame, all six of them made an enormous impact on fashion in particular and art in general.
Dries Van Noten is probably the most “famous” of the group. He ran his eponymous label for a very long time and is known not only for his many collections but also his various sources of inspiration – India is a very big one. (You can read more about India’s impact on fashion and Dries van Noten’s designs here.) He sold his business to the Spanish group Puig in 2018 and designed his last collection in 2024. Since then, Julian Klausner has taken over as creative director. Similarly, Ann Demeulemeester also sold her company to Antonioli Holding in 2020. Walter van Beirendonck started teaching at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp already in 1985, one year before the “founding” of the Antwerp Six. He pursued teaching until 2022 and he also was a director at the Academy since 2007. Van Beirendonck founded several labels and also designed stage costumes – for the opera but also for U2. Dirk Bikkembergs moved away from the Parisian-influenced fashion towards sports-inspired designs. His sneakers are You probaby now think of the sneakers. Two of the Antwerp Six pursued careers outside the commercial fashion space (and spotlight): Dirk Van Saene occupies himself with ceramic art and Marina Yee focused on theatre costumes.
Exhibition at the MoMu Antwerp
The MoMu in Antwerp celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Antwerp Six with a special exhibition (starting from 28 March 2026 until 17 January 2027). Visitors will get to see about 80 designs, personal objects, memorabilia, sketches and videos of the designers. In the 40 years since the start of the Antwerp Six, this is the first major survey of their work as a “group”. The exhibition has been developed in close collaboration of all six designers. One of the first steps of the exhibition’s preparation process was that the designers all came together – a rare event – to share their memories and recollections. According to Kaat Debo, Director of the MoMu, this is particularly emotional as Marina Yee lost her battle with cancer in November 2025. The Antwerp Six not only offered access to their archives but also gave in-depth interviews and each designer influenced how their work would be shown.[7]
Disclaimer
This article is based on the personal, views, experiences and research of the author, no fees were received by the organisations and people mentioned above. All information is alleged, as of the date of publishing/updating and for entertainment purposes only.
Footnotes
[1] AnOther 2026, MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp 2026, Wallpaper 2026.
[2] ibid.
[3] AnOther 2026.
[4-6] AnOther 2026, MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp 2026, Wallpaper 2026.
[7] MoMu 2026, Wallpaper 2026.
Sources
AnOther, How the Antwerp Six Achieved Fashion Infamy, published on 20 July 2016, by Hannah Rogers, last accessed on 16 March 2026.
MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp, The Antwerp Six, last accessed on 16 March 2026.
Wallpaper, The Antwerp Six changed fashion forever. Now, a rare exhibition will chart their influence, published by Simon Chilvers, on 1 March 2026, last accessed on 16 March 2026.
Source Title Image
AnOther, How the Antwerp Six Achieved Fashion Infamy, published on 20 July 2016, by Hannah Rogers, last accessed on 16 March 2026.
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