Antwerp has the magic number six. The Class of 1986 changed the fashion landscape forever. Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and Dirk Bikkembergs. They packed their collections into a rented van and drove to London. There, at the British Designer Show, they made their first steps into the fashion world. Some continued their fashion journey in Paris, establishing Belgium’s place in fashion history.
Today, that legacy stretches far beyond a single van into a bright constellation. The École nationale supérieure des arts visuels de La Cambre in Brussels and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp are now the main training grounds for the next generation. Nationality is no longer the common thread. It’s the education, mentality and craft. A new league has arrived. Let’s take a closer look.
From the autumn/winter 2025 collections, Meryll Rogge, Maison Margiela Couture, Balenciaga Couture, courtesy of the designer brands and Go Runway
Since launching her eponymous label in 2019, Meryll Rogge has built a world of contemporary femininity grounded in classics. Think bold silhouettes, unexpected colour pairings and sharp shirting. Now, as the newly appointed creative director of Marni, I look forward to seeing how her vision will shape the next chapter of this Italian house.
Glenn Martens trained in Antwerp and exploded onto the scene with Y/Project, where denim twisted, tailoring warped and humour reigned. Then came Diesel. A perfect fit. This year he delivered his first couture show for Maison Margiela, closing a circle that began with Margiela’s own Antwerp roots. Conceptual, emotional, always unexpected. More in another IMpressions.
Before Balenciaga and Vetements, Georgian-born Demna Gvasalia studied at the Academy and absorbed the anti-fashion codes of Margiela. His work disrupts, polarises and sets the tone. Last month on Instagram, he posted the rejection letter he once received from Balenciaga, the house he went on to lead for ten years. His final bow with an exhibition, Balenciaga by Demna, was on view at 40 rue de Sèvres. As the incoming creative director of Gucci, his next chapter may reveal a more distilled kind of provocation. I am excited.
From the Jan-Jan Van Essche exhibition Khayal at MoMu Antwerp, the autumn/winter 2025 collections Courrèges and Ester Manas. Images courtesy of the designer brands and GoRunway
Jan-Jan Van Essche works outside the traditional show system. His garments breathe space: loose, genderless, and rooted in natural fibres and rituals. With the curated Atelier Solarshop in Antwerp and a growing global following, his recent MoMu exhibition Khayal felt more like a meditative experience than a fashion display.
Nicolas Di Felice moves between nostalgia and night energy. From La Cambre to Balenciaga to Courrèges, he brings future-leaning minimalism to the Paris runway. Vinyl jackets, space-age cuts and underground pulse, all filtered through a precise Belgian lens. Courrèges under his eye radiates.
Stretch and sensuality shape the vision behind Brussels-based label Ester Manas. Lace, ruffles and sculptural volume define their collections. Created by Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, the duo brings a refreshingly inclusive energy to the Paris calendar.
From the spring/summer 2025 Hyein Seo collection, autumn/winter 2025 collections Alaïa and Tom Ford. Images courtesy of the designer brands and GoRunway
While studying in Antwerp, Hyein Seo began shaping a new kind of streetwear. Together with co-founder Jino Lee, she launched her namesake label, combining precise tailoring with layered silhouettes and futuristic references. Now based in Seoul, the brand spans womenswear and menswear, blending dystopian cool with anime aesthetics and technical cut-
Pieter Mulier spent years alongside fellow Belgian Raf Simons, from Jil Sander to Dior to Calvin Klein, refining a vision rooted in clarity and form. Now he leads Alaïa, where his approach is long-term and deliberate, with just two collections a year. Each one focused on sculptural silhouettes and tactile, architectural elegance that allows every detail to resonate.
Fluidity, elegance and a modern sense of drama define the work of Haider Ackermann. A favourite of Tilda Swinton, his tailoring plays with structure and sensuality, often in sumptuous fabrics. His couture collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier stunned, and though his eponymous line has been dormant since 2020, he now lends his vision to both Tom Ford and, unexpectedly and delightfully, Canada Goose.
From autumn/winter 2025 collections by Ludovic de Saint Sernin . the autumn/ winter 2024 Botter collection, Images courtesy of the designer brands and GoRunway
Ludovic de Saint Sernin was born in Brussels and raised between continents. His style shapes Paris’s sexiest silhouettes. Lace-up briefs, sheer sensuality and queer poetics define his namesake label, based in Paris. From his own line to Gaultier couture, his work plays hide and seek with desire.
Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh mix Caribbean roots, Antwerp rigour and Dutch clarity. At their label Botter, experimental design takes centre stage, from fishnet suits and latex-like gloves to deconstructed, patchwork silhouettes. After their time as co-designers at Nina Ricci, they now begin a new chapter as the creative duo at Dutch denim brand G-Star.
The Antwerp Six created a shockwave. Today’s names apply couture techniques, archival codes or club culture to keep that current alive. All of them, from Mulier to Martens, speak the same Belgian fluency. Looking ahead, I’m curious to see what this new Belgian era continues to spark.
Images courtesy of designers, photography Daniele Oberrauch, Filippo Fior, Umberto Fratini / GoRunway.
Discover
Meryll Rogge — meryllrogge.com
Glenn Martens — maisonmargiela.com
Demna — gucci.com
Jan-Jan Van Essche — janjanvanessche.com
Nicolas Di Felice — courreges.com
Ester Manas — ester-manas.com
Hyein Seo — hyeinseo.com
Pieter Mulier — alaia.com
Haider Ackermann — tomford.com, canadagoose.com
Ludovic de Saint Sernin — ludovicdesaintsernin.com
Botter — botter.world
