Fashion from the MoMu Collection

With the collection presentation, MoMu is offering a permanent place for every visitor that is dynamic, surprising and inspiring. Due to a lack of exhibition space in the past, the museum's extensive collection had limited exposure. Today, the renovated museum can give the history of Belgian and international fashion a permanent place. The MoMu Collection is continuously enriched as the gaps within the historical collection are filled and creations by emerging talent are added. Both keep the collection presentation a dynamic and surprising space.

In the collection presentation, visitors will discover the development of avant-garde Belgian and international fashion. The exhibition presents clothing and accessories, show invites, and archival footage. An introductory documentary takes a deeper look at the origins of the quality label ‘Belgian fashion’ from the rise of the Antwerp Six in the 1980s. The work of students from the Fashion Department, presented every year, highlights the importance of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.

Since the international breakthrough of the first generation of Belgian designers in the late 1980s, Belgian fashion and its international context have both seen radical change. Since then, the globalization of the fashion world has made the concept of ‘Belgian fashion’ far more complex. The origins of the designers, the places where they trained, the cultural, socio-economic and political contexts from which designers shape their oeuvres all lead to an identity that is constantly changing. ‘Belgian fashion’ has evolved into a quality label that has less to do with origins and more with the artistic vision and sensibilities of the designers. What unites them is a certain wilfulness, a conceptual approach, a love of surrealism and an unmistakable eye for detail. The silhouettes on display here show how these designers are drawn to a deconstruction of classic garments, opting for an interdisciplinary approach and working with a deep respect for history and craftsmanship.

A selection of the designers presented in the collection presentation: Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela, Raf Simons, Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, Rushemy Botter, A.F.Vandevorst, Jurgi Persoons, Bernhard Willhelm, Olivier Theyskens, Stephen Jones, Ann Salens, Minju Kim, Balenciaga, Y/Project, Dirk Bikkembergs, Haider Ackermann, Veronique Branquinho and Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe.

On the occasion of the collection presentation, the book ‘Fashion. The MoMu Collection - Antwerp’ is published by Lannoo.