Politically, times were charged: Margaret Thatcher was ruling with an iron fist, America was a financial powerhouse under Reagan, and communism fell in Eastern Europe. Moment 54: The Antwerp Six Dubbed by WWD in 1986 as the “twerps,” a radical wave of designers including Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Noten emerged out of Antwerp, Belgium. It was coined as a target for defect-free product manufacturing. Although I had never done this before, I agreed. But, The Antwerp Six didn’t have that. Born in 1958, Dries Van Noten graduated from Antwerp’s Fashion Academy in 1980 to start his career in the fashion industry. 17 October 2016. Dries Van Noten is the eponymous high fashion menswear label of Belgian designer, Dries van Noten. What then, was the magic formula? Can you imagine?” Warehouse parties also helped to grow the underground scene. We were just of the same generation, with the same interests – it was inevitable that we would all meet.”. As a member of the vastly talented Antwerp Six, who graduated from the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1986 … Aug 10, 2013 - Antwerp-Six, Dries Van Noten, Ann demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, Walt Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee, 1986 London Fashion Week The six artists studied under Linda Loppa, who formerly served as the dean of Polimoda fashion school. Established among fashion’s avant-garde and counted among the illustrious Antwerp Six, Belgian artist-turned-designer Ann Demeulemeester founded her namesake label in 1986. “Negativity existed in the period. ANTWERP — They were known as the ‘'Antwerp Six” back in the 1980s, ... who opened his first tiny store in Antwerp in 1986 and has built his international business from the city. The day after, we rented two of them which we (filled) with all the furniture, the collections, the mannequins, the tents, the designers, and we drove through the Alps to Florence. This interview is part of a series of collaborative content brought to you by 1 Granary magazine. video bio profiling the career of designer Dries Van Noten, from his emergence onto the scene as part of the seminal "Antwerp Six" in 1986 up to his receipt… It is very difficult to explain. René Pijnen (born 3 September 1946) is a track cyclist who competes internationally for Netherlands. The anti-glamour of the six+1’s designs were instantly popular. Ann Demeulemeester actually came into the store to buy these shoes. Grandson of a tailor and son of the owner of a fashion store. London, 1986. But, the Antwerp Six didn’t have that. These were the first orders we had. The shape in his collections, some of which appear season after season, are conventionally feminine and invariably flattering, smartly crafted and architecturally sound. We’ve reached peak internet. The term was derived from the idea that process capability can be described by product or service deviation from specification.” (“Six Sigma Basics”). The fashion collective presented a distinct, radical vision for fashion during the 1980s that established Antwerp as a notable location for fashion design. Within just three days, they find themselves stocked at Barneys, Bergdorf and Liberty of London, and propelled into the media stratosphere. Ever since six graduates from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts shook London’s 1986 Fashion Week to the core, the city has strived to stay one step ahead. “In the 80s, there was Dirk van Saene’s store in Antwerp which is where I met Dirk and his partner Walter van Beirendonck. “In Belgium, we only had the Japanese, French and Italian designers. The British Government suddenly noted the potential of young designers, offering funding, hosting parties and championing the industry; Thatcher herself hosted a number of receptions in Downing Street; London Fashion Week as we know it now gained pace, showcasing a generation of ambitious graduates from the Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. The Antwerp Six – a label conjured up by the press not least due to the difficult pronunciation of their names – remain memorable not so much because of all the six designers individually (some maintained their place in the limelight while some faded), but because they represent the rare phenomenon of a group making an impact on the international stage simultaneously. Nel 1986 La scuola di Anversa da origine alla leggenda degli “Antwerp six”, un gruppo di designer diventato brand grazie al loro stile così forte, concettuale e provocatorio e destinato a scuotere le regole del fashion system: Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Saene e infine Walter Van Beirendonck. Marina Yee was born in 1958 in Antwerp, Belgium. Photography Karel Fonteyne, courtesy of Bozar . They had this dream and this healthy naivety to believe in it”. The Bikkembergs brand started out as a shoe collection in 1986. Career. The streets of Antwerp are filled with people thinking long and hard about their sense of style. Creatively, the scene was electric. His last victories are the Six Days of Antwerp 1991/1992 and the men's derny during the European Derny Championships 1990/1991. The Antwerp Six Under Linda Loppa , who now serves as the dean of Polimoda fashion school, Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee graduated … People had to create something to fight against that – to create their own worlds.” Fashion, as it still does, served as a means of both expression and escape. Add to Plan. Van Noten and fellow members of the so-called Antwerp Six (including Ann Demeulemeester and Dirk Bikkembergs) first took the international fashion scene by storm when they rented a truck and set up shop at London Fashion Week in 1987 (or 1986, or 1988, depending on … Antwerp has long been associated with the acclaimed Antwerp Six fashion designers, but there is much more to the city than this. I need clothes.’ I went to see Walter and told him about our plan. At the start of the 1980s, six graduates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp established themselves as a fashion collective known as the Antwerp Six. I think it has to do with the political situation in the 80s, when the world was changing very fast and we became a global community; where the identity of a small country suddenly saw the possibility to become one of the players in this global story. Over the previous few days, six other people had died of unknown causes in northwest Chicago. He then expanded to men’s clothing in 1988 and launched his first women’s line in 1993. One of the illustrious Antwerp Six, Dirk Bikkembergs' collections are inspired by the strength, health, and virility of sports.His first collection was launched in 1986, and his football-centric sports couture became sought after for its superb quality, comfort and wearability. A sustainable approach was adopted, with an appreciation for less-is-more. We went to Paris and showed twice as a group, but then Dirk Bikkembergs only did menswear so he had to split to do the show for men; Dries needed a bigger show because he was booming, and so the whole group split up. Source: Karel Fonteyne. They knew that one day they would make it, but that was it. “If you’re from the same generation, the same country and are doing the same sport, your competitive nature stimulates each other. The breakthrough occurred in 1986 as the group rented a truck and set out for the London Fashion Week with their collections. It was the same with the designers. Antwerp Six 1986. In 1986 a group of six graduates from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts loaded their collections into a van and drove to London Fashion Week to show off their avant-garde creations. “They [the young] are refusing extravagance,” she said, “and you need a little bit of that to come out with new things. The Antwerp Six changed the way Belgian fashion was perceived when they showed their avant-garde collections at London fashion week in 1986. He said OK. Economically, businesses had the money to invest and politically, unrest subconsciously provided creative stimulant. The fashion collective presented a distinct, radical vision for fashion during the 1980s that established Antwerp … Over the next 30 years, the designs of Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee changed the international fashion scene, … Moment 54: The Antwerp Six Dubbed by WWD in 1986 as the “twerps,” a radical wave of designers including Ann Demeulemeester and Dries Van Noten emerged out of Antwerp, Belgium. Text Hannah Rogers. “When you leave the course, you know how to design – and nothing else,” said Vercraeye. But, change is infectious; the climate in Antwerp was transforming too. In London, subculture ruled. Paris, London, New York and Milan will no doubt come to mind when you think of world fashion capitals. In London, all the designers were on the first floor of the building, and we were on the top floor next to the wedding gowns. The next season we were invited by the Pitti organisation to show at Pitti Trend in Florence, but we didn’t have money to go. It was also the year that most of the Antwerp Six graduated, alongside their friend and colleague Martin Margiela. Within just three days, they find themselves stocked at Barneys, Bergdorf and Liberty of London, and propelled into the media stratosphere. That … His last victories are the Six Days of Keulen 1986/1987 and the men's madison during the European Madison Championships 1985/1986. Antwerp Six; Antwerp Six. Also, because what they designed was entirely different from the other, there wasn’t any direct threat. Alongside the surge of prosperity, an uglier world existed, and social unrest, terrorist bombings, strikes, high unemployment and the rise of HIV/AIDS also filled the headlines. A world away from the filtered, hashtagged sphere in which designers now function, the fashion climate of the 1980s was laced with rebellion, anarchy and consensus-breaking transformation. A group of unknown graduates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp arrive at the British Designer Show, crammed into a small van, to present their collections. Today he is considered one of the best fashion designers in history. Alongside the designers (themselves all graduates from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts under Linda Loppa) was Geert Bruloot, the owner of cult shoe shop Coccodrillo. You had Vivienne Westwood, Katherine Hamnett, Body Map, Culture Shock and John Galliano was just starting out. Key Systems And Processes Used By Ac Gilbert In 1986 he had his breakthrough with the presentation of his menswear in London, this year he also joined together with 5 other Antwerp designers, they are known as the Antwerp six. At the academy they were taught by Linda Loppa. The fashion collective presented a distinct radical vision for fashion during the 1980’s that established Antwerp as a notable location for fashion design. The Six+1 frequently won awards at the Golden Spindle competition, and their collections sparked an appetite in Belgian consumers. At the academy itself, healthy competition between the designers spurred talent on. Director of the city's Fotomuseum Elviera Velghe tells … “They had huge parties,” said Nicola Vercraeye, a close colleague of Margiela who now runs owns the only stand-alone shop in Belgium. “I think there’s a bit of an urge today to become a star very soon. Dirk Bikkembergs won the contest, whom I met and got into conversation with. Dries Van Noten, one of the most successful members of the renowned Antwerp Six, started his own collection in 1986. The designers who emerged from this crucible of creativity were making collections informed by social circumstance. Until he started working on his own collections, he worked as a freelancer for a couple of years. In 1986, six young designers (all graduates of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts) and a shoe-seller-turned-creative-director, drove a van to London and fronted up … When you set out to show in the London Fashion Fair with the Antwerp Six in 1986, did you have any idea that you would be putting Antwerp on the map as a fashion hotbed? ANTWERP — They were known as the ‘'Antwerp Six” back in the 1980s, when the idea of Belgian fashion seemed like a contradiction in terms. They were all graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and put Belgium on the international fashion map ever since when they presented their collections during London Fashion Week in 1986. Youth culture had spread like wildfire through the 60s and 70s, and London had usurped Paris to become Europe’s cultural epicentre. Nel 1986 destò grande interesse con la sua prima collezione di scarpe maschili in stile militare. On the international stage, there was an opening for young, experimental talent. No more glamour shows with top models, but just models from the street walking between the chairs. “Events were organised by students at the Antwerp academy that you would hear of,” said Opdebeek, “but it wasn’t limited to parties. She gratuated in 1981 and when she went to London in 1986 with her collection she proved herself one of the notorious six. A year after that, I met Dries van Noten because I was at that moment also dressing windows for other stores. 1986 Chevy Scottsdale, C-20, 3/4 Ton Pickup, 5.7 Liter V8 Engine, 152,200 original miles. ... Bill smith who worked as an engineer in Motorola inc introduced it in 1986. I miss that.”. So I said, ‘I’m fed up travelling with your shoes in the countryside. As put by Noel, “their [the collections’] particularity became classic.”, If London had Blitz nightclub to thank for bringing young creatives together, then Antwerp had Cafe D’anvers. The term was derived from the idea that process capability can be described by product or service deviation from specification.” (“Six Sigma Basics”). In the wee hours of the morning on October 26, 1986, Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner lets an easy ground ball dribble between his legs and roll down the I can feel this with the students (of the Antwerp Fashion Academy). Antwerp Travel Guide About Antwerp. The six were given the title 'Antwerp Six' at the British Designer Show in 1986 because the press had had a hard time pronouncing their name. The breakthrough occurred in 1986 as the group rented a truck and set out for the London Fashion Fair with their collections. I would go out in the craziest outfits, from Helmut Lang, Jean Paul Gaultier – tights, lace jackets. Both were designed to grow the fashion industry in Belgium, and to introduce young, talented home-grown designers to major ready-to-wear brands. The Antwerp Six in 1986 (left to right): Marina Yee, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs and Dirk Van Saene. From Raf Simons Redux by Maria Luisa Frisa, published by Ediz, courtesy. Three decades on, the six young Belgians’ swift journey to global acclaim still captivates the industry. The 1980s saw designer fashion mature into a financially viable business. Coincidence played a role; the talent and personalities of the group and those around them informed every detail of each designer’s collections. No. Antwerp probably won’t. Antwerp Six The Antwerp Six is a group of influential avant garde fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts between 1980-1981. Nel 1986 La scuola di Anversa da origine alla leggenda degli “Antwerp six”, un gruppo di designer diventato brand grazie al loro stile così forte, concettuale e provocatorio e destinato a scuotere le regole del fashion system: Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Saene e infine Walter Van Beirendonck. Established among fashion’s avant-garde and counted among the illustrious Antwerp Six, Belgian artist-turned-designer Ann Demeulemeester founded her namesake label in 1986. People will always need something to wear, but the industry will be different. Sarine Arslanian. “The term Six Sigma was coined by Bill Smith in 1986, while at Motorola. Van Noten freelanced for a variety of local designers before launching a menswear line in 1986. Members of the Antwerp six joined the fashion department to … ANTWERP, Belgium — It's been over twenty years, but the Antwerp Six still holds huge historical importance in fashion, which says a lot in today's fast fashion world. It felt like a pop group splitting up. “It is a little like what happens in sport,” Opdebeek explained. ... Infatti, dopo qualche anno di lavoro come freelance, nel 1986 decide di lanciare il suo brand con una collezione di abbigliamento maschile, subito acquistata da clienti prestigiosi, come Pauw di Amsterdam, Whistles a Londra e la catena newyorkese. His intellectual aesthetic first took the international fashion scene by storm when he and other graduates of Antwerp’s Royal Academy rented a truck and set up shop at London Fashion Week in 1986 after gathering experience freelancing as a consultant designer and working as a … Continue Reading. The ImpactThough the climate in which the Antwerp Six+1 developed has changed immeasurably, their history still provides lessons for designers today. I asked if he wanted to make a collection. Ann Demeulemeester, Marina Yee, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dirk Van Saene and Walter Van Beirendonck become the “Antwerp Six”. The Antwerp Six Oggi vi voglio raccontare una storia che ha il sapore della leggenda, una favola moderna che narra di sei talentuosi giovani designers diplomati alla “Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Antwerpen (Accademia delle Belle Arti di Anversa)” che, nel 1986, partirono alla volta di Londra a bordo di un camion carico del loro talento e dei loro sogni. But I am sure there will be a time where there will be more individuality, more confidence. Location in Belgium Antwerp municipality in the province of Antwerp. It’s fashion folklore – how in 1986, a gang of Belgian designers bundled into a van, headed across Europe and caused a stir at a London tradeshow, making their mark indelibly on the decades of fashion to come. (With Martin Margiela considered to be an honorary member of the group, it is often referred to as The Antwerp Six+1.) Following a decline in the once prosperous linen industry, Willem Clales, the Belgian minister of economics, launched his “textile plan”. He said that he had a shoe collection and asked if we wanted to sell it. As one of the original Antwerp Six, he made his debut in 1987 in London. The press began referring to them as a group beginning in about 1990, though the designers are united mostly by origin and common experiences rather than style. Antwerp’s renowned fashion school, the «Royal Academy of Fine Arts», is the prolific birth place of world-famous designers, of which six became known as «The Antwerp Six». In the underground sphere, some of the industry’s most groundbreaking magazines (Dazed & Confused, Blitz and The Face) took shape, all of which was also closely informing London’s fashion scene, which was just beginning to be taken seriously. Before that, ready-to-wear fashion was a secondary part of the couture houses. That year, he presented his first menswear collection in London as part of The Antwerp Six collective. The Antwerp Six and their experimental-meets-commercial approach to fashion opened doors for other Belgian designers, most notably Olivier Theyskens and Raf Simons, the latter of whom studied industrial design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and then interned for … “Perhaps that stimulated creativity,” said Hendrik Opdebeek, head of menswear for Belgium’s landmark boutique Stijl in Brussels. This piece is an excerpt from a longer interview – head over to 1 Granary for the full story. He heard of it and went: ‘Why can’t I come?’ Then I had the idea: of course, they all have to come. Noel pointed out that conservatism has swept the youth of today, with the rise of e-commerce encouraging safer buying choices. After this success he opened his own boutique in Antwerp with his women and men’s collections. Combined, a perfect storm broke, offering a window into the fashion climate of the 1980s, and raising the question: could that kind of talent ever be cultivated in such a way again? It was coined as a target for defect-free product manufacturing. The six artists studied under Linda Loppa, who formerly served as the dean of Polimoda fashion school. Photo by Karel Fonteyne, images courtesy of BOZAR. I like to see this positively. Now, young people all want to be like each other, to be part of a group. A group of unknown graduates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp arrive at the British Designer Show, crammed into a small van, to present their collections. “The way we lived will never come back,” said Vercraeye. The style revolution spearheaded by the Antwerp Six in the 1980s helped establish this modern metropolis as a capital of cool. The press began referring to them as a group beginning in about 1990, though the designers are united mostly by origin and common experiences rather than style. I stayed there with the designers and realised the potential of what I saw. Thirty years on, this legacy is evident in the recent reaction to the ultra-rapid pace of catwalk collections, part of the reason for Raf Simons to exit from Dior. To mark the opening of FootPrint, The Tracks of Shoes in Fashion at Antwerp’s MoMu curated by Bruloot, he recalls those early days with what would become the Antwerp Six. The group also had luck on their side historically: at home in Belgium, fashion funding was receiving heavy investment. Sailing Collection, March 1986 Courtesy of Dries Van Noten Dries Van Noten, one of the Antwerp Six warmly recalls his initial, idealistic trip to London for … So I went to his flat to see it, and it was amazing – I bought all of it. Dries Van Noten, one of the most successful members of the renowned Antwerp Six, started his own collection in 1986. Established among fashion’s avant-garde and counted among the illustrious Antwerp Six, Belgian artist-turned-designer Ann Demeulemeester founded her namesake label in 1986. They had this dream and this healthy naivety to believe in it. Alongside the designers (themselves all graduates from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts under Linda Loppa) was Geert Bruloot, the owner of cult shoe shop Coccodrillo. A few months later, Martin Margiela came into my store, Coccodrillo, before he went to work for Jean Paul Gaultier. I was already working with Dries at that time. Dries Van Noten was born in Antwerp (Belgium) in 1958. Forget the beer and waffles cliché, Belgium’s second largest city is the latest European hipster hub, with an avant-garde cultural scene that blows all stereotypes out of the water. Antwerp Six 1986. It’s like you came from another planet, we never heard of you! “The term Six Sigma was coined by Bill Smith in 1986, while at Motorola. Photo by Karel Fonteyne, images courtesy of BOZAR. Dirk said that they weren’t produced, so he went and saw his manufacturer who said: ‘Ok, we’ll make them but Geert has to distribute them because we have no agent.’ So I said ok. “As they could not pronounce (the designers’) names, they just started calling (them) the Antwerp Six.”, After two seasons we went to Tokyo because our trip was paid by the government. 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