Antwerp Academy
haider ackerman - a.f vandevorst - dirk bikkembergs - peter bertsch - veronique branquinho - ann demeulemeester - christoph frolich - anna heylen - kosmetique label - les hommes - martin margiela - slobodan mihajlovic - peter pilotto - bruno pieters - pelican avenue - cathy pill - stephen schneider - raf simons - romy smits - olivier theyskens - kris van assche - walter van beirendonck - dries van noten - dirk van saene - tim van steenbergen - annemie verbeke - christian wijnants - bernard wilhelm
Local Antwerp designer Tim Van Steenbergen showed for the first time since 2004 at Paris fashion week, and a welcome return it was.
Tilda Swinton isn't the only celeb fan of Haider Ackermann's 'easy luxury' looks; now, Penelope Cruz too has lended star support to the up-and-coming designer's label.
Was it the clothes themselves or the fact that Rihanna just attended Margiela's spring show that prompted Renzo Rosso to finally admit that the man behind the label was no longer designing behind-the-scenes?
Margiela, a notorious recluse, after all, hardly seems likely to conform to celebrity outreach.
The name Alexandra Verschueren may not resonate now, but as the latest recipient of the Antwerp Academy's grand jury prize and Flanders Fashion Institute (FFI) award, two honours also bestowed recently on Peter Pilotto, she may be one to watch in the years to come.
We do not know if Margiela has even left his label for sure, as no one outside his circle knows what he looks like nor does he speak to the media except through his collective 'Maison', but after months of retirement rumours, everyone from Raf Simons to now Haider Ackermann has been reported his replacement.
Last year, Dries Van Noten took home the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award for International Designer of the Year, handed over by fellow Belgian and CFDA president Diane Von Furstenburg, nonetheless, and Thursday he was honoured stateside again, this time by the Couture Council of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
Finally, a piece of Olivier we can afford! And that can be displayed prominently on our coffee tables.
Nothing says good taste like a well-selected coffee table book, in my opinion.
Haider Ackermann may have graduated from the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts years ago, but we have seen little of him since, despite critical, and now commercial, success.
In fact, he had no point of sale in all of Belgium.
Until now.
Before anyone can complete the sentence 'do the...' [whatever] now, all I hear is 'Helen Keller and talk with your hips.'
Is it the 'do' to end all don'ts?
