Antwerp has a longstanding reputation as one of the most influential fashion cities of the world. Home of the Antwerp Six, the city exudes a sense of understated cool that offers a stark contrast to an often exuberant Dutch design identity. As there’s a lot to uncover in the Belgian fashion scene, we dive into everything fashion related Antwerp has to offer in the upcoming month. Here are four reasons to convince you to book your trip.
Weekend Knack – Antwerp Designer Days
When: May 8th-14th
Where: Selected stores and galleries in Antwerp⠀
If you’re an admirer of Belgian fashion and regularly scour Depop for a vintage Raf Simons piece or an affordable Walter van Beirendonck item, the Antwerp Designer Days are your dream come true. From the 8th till the 14th of May, selected Belgian designers dig into their archives and offer up old collections, prototypes, small defaults and never-seen-before samples at a fraction of the price. The current lineup includes names such as ARTE, Christian Wijnants, Kassl Editions, Jan-Jan Van Essche, and Toos Franken.
MoMu Antwerp –Rida Habib Allah and Federico Protto
When: June 6th
Where: Nationalestraat 28, 2000 Antwerp
After being closed for years due to renovation works, the Fashion Museum Antwerp finally reopened its doors in 2022. With a schedule filled to the brim, fans of the cult museum can finally feed their fashion urge once again. In May, MoMu collaborates with DE SINGEL’s artist residency program. Setting up their stage at MoMu will be fashion designer Rida Habib Allah and Federico Protto, taking over the entire museum with the lecture performance ‘New Creation’ and the fashion performance ‘Dress Rehearsal’.
BOTTER – Stock Sale
When: May 9th-13th
Where: Schuttershofstraat 17, 2000 Antwerp
Even though the Dutch designer duo Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh have set their course in Paris and are now one of the most prominent talents on the Paris Menswear Fashion Week calendar, the roots of BOTTER are firmly embedded in Amsterdam. Rushemy, who was mentored by non-other than Walter Van Beirendonck and Dirk Van Saene, was adamant to leave Amsterdam behind to persue his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and therefore laid the groundworks of what is now known as BOTTER, in Antwerp. Now, six years after the brand launched, Lisi and Rushemy finally return for their first ever stocksale in Antwerp.
Antwerp Fashion Department – Show + Expo 2023
When: June 9th-10th
Where: Rijnkaai 150, 2000 Antwerp
Speaking of the aforementioned Antwerp Six, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts is where the likes of Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Noten shaped what’s now known as the Belgian fashion design signature. Uniting in a certain wilfulness, a conceptual approach, a love of surrealism and an unmistakable eye for detail, as curator of MoMu Elisa De Wyngaert describes it, designers that now graduate from the famous Antwerp fashion school still reference this distinctive finesse that once put Antwerp on the fashion map. This year marks the first time the school’s show and exhibition will be held under the creative direction of Brandon Wen, who was crowned lead of the fashion department in the summer of last year. Even more reason to book your tickets and observe Belgian fashion design in all its glory.
