6+ Antwerp Fashion at the Flemish Parliament

6+, which refers to ‘The Antwerp Six’ (Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee), describes the international success story of Antwerp fashion.

The plus sign in the title refers to Martin Margiela because he is often bracketed together with ‘The Six’. It also refers to the next generation of designers who have always added new aspects to the Antwerp identity.

The exhibition consists of four parts. The first part deals with the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Antwerp.

Unique photos and video footage show the transformation from a local drawing department – inspired by Paris – towards an internationally renowned fashion academy.

The second part tackles the 6+, ‘The Six’ and Martin Margiela, their joint ambition and development, and finally the crucial turning point: the Golden Spindle competitions. The third part shows ‘The New Generation’ of internationally renowned Antwerp designers, with works by Raf Simons, Veronique Branquinho, A.F. Vandevorst, Lieve Van Gorp, Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe, and Bernhard Willhelm, among others.

The fourth and final part shows an overall picture, rendered of the designers who have a connection with the Antwerp School and are internationally active today, both on and behind the scenes. MoMu has invited Geert Bruloot, who has been keeping up with the Antwerp fashion scene since the beginning of the 80s and is one of the co-founders of the Flanders Fashion Institute, as guest curator and scenographer of this exhibition.