Forty years after their breakthrough in London in 1986, an exuberant exhibition dedicated to the Antwerp Six has opened at the ModeMuseum or MoMu fashion museum Antwerp.

Conceived as both a celebration and a reappraisal, it marks the first time a major exhibition has been devoted entirely to these six designers, whose work helped place Antwerp firmly on the global fashion map.

Through a series of personal installations, each designer presents their work in a distinctive way, immersing visitors in garments that have shaped Belgian, and international, fashion history. One opts for an army of mannequins, another for fashion photography, while a third invites visitors into a reconstruction of her studio. Text is kept deliberately sparse, allowing the clothes and environments to speak for themselves.

Archival material frames the story. Newspaper clippings, photographs and references to Antwerp’s late-1970s counterculture, including a record by The Kids, evoke the cultural climate from which the group emerged. The exhibition is curated by Geert Bruloot, together with Romy Cockx and Kaat Debo, MoMu’s director, who describes the project as a rare opportunity to bring together the legacy and influence of these six figures in a single, in-depth presentation.

From academy to global stage

Before encountering the work itself, visitors are guided through the shared origins of Dirk Bikkembergs, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee, and Ann Demeulemeester. 

Their trajectory begins at the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where they enrolled in the late 1970s, at a time when the curriculum remained relatively conservative.

Their emergence coincided with a broader search for identity within the textile industry in Belgium. By the early 1980s, competitions such as the Golden Spindle had begun to spotlight new talent, and these designers quickly distinguished themselves. They were not a formal collective, but rather a group of contemporaries whose paths aligned at a decisive moment.

That moment came in 1986, when they travelled to London to present their collections at the British Designer Show. The reception was immediate and transformative. International press coverage – famously referring to them as “the Antwerp Six” due to the difficulty of pronouncing their names – marked their breakthrough and signalled Antwerp’s arrival as a serious fashion capital. Their influence, as the exhibition makes clear, continues to resonate in global fashion today.

Six designers, six distinct universes

The exhibition unfolds as a sequence of immersive worlds, each reflecting a singular vision rather than a unified aesthetic.

Dirk Bikkembergs opens the exhibition with a focus on image rather than object. His presentation centres on powerful fashion photography, underscoring his pioneering fusion of fashion and sport and his conception of a strong, athletic masculinity.

Walter Van Beirendonck’s installation bursts with colour and theatricality. A monumental screen-based figure, Puk Puk, interacts with the designer, while a dense arrangement of silhouettes reveals the technical sophistication behind work often simplistically labelled as streetwear. Notably, he remains the only member of the six still actively designing new collections.

Dirk Van Saene offers a more introspective yet playful environment. His installation, structured like a fashion show, features mannequins moving along a conveyor belt, blurring distinctions between audience and runway. His work frequently approaches art, incorporating painterly techniques and humour, including early explorations of trompe-l’œil.

Dries Van Noten presents a refined and sensorial experience. Carefully orchestrated colour combinations, intricate embroidery and fluid silhouettes are complemented by runway footage, highlighting the craftsmanship and enduring coherence of his oeuvre. His work requires little explanation; its authority lies in its material richness and subtlety.

Marina Yee is honoured through the reconstruction of her Antwerp studio, offering rare insight into a deeply private practice. Known for her pioneering approach to reuse and recycling, she worked with found materials long before sustainability became a dominant discourse. The installation, recreated in meticulous detail after her death in November 2025, captures both the intimacy and the rigour of her process.

Ann Demeulemeester closes the exhibition with a meditative display of black silhouettes drawn from across her career. Though originating from different collections, the garments form a remarkably coherent whole, demonstrating her consistency and her nuanced exploration of form and tone. Her work stands as a study in restraint, earning her the reputation of an ‘architect’ among designers.

Legacy and continued influence

What emerges is not the story of a collective in the strict sense, but of six independent voices whose proximity fostered mutual support and momentum. Their shared education and simultaneous rise created a powerful narrative, yet each pursued a distinct creative path.

The exhibition underscores how their breakthrough in 1986 reshaped perceptions of Belgian fashion and established Antwerp as an international reference point. Decades later, their designs continue to influence contemporary fashion, both aesthetically and conceptually.

Accompanying the exhibition is a substantial, nearly 400-page catalogue published by Hannibal, featuring contributions from critics and curators including Tim Blanks, Angelo Flaccavento and Eugene Rabkin. 

Produced in collaboration with the City of Antwerp and supported by EventFlanders, the exhibition stands as both a tribute and a critical reflection on one of the most influential moments in late 20th-century fashion.

A visit

The exhibition is popular. It was crowded. The Antwerp Six are big names, and the press preview featured reporters from countries and media MoMu usually doesn’t entertain. 

Sometimes, I find MoMu exhibitions to be a little abstract, too artsy or ‘dreamy’. Not this one. This felt feet on the ground. 

‘The Antwerp Six‘ runs until 17 January 2027. 

Art and museums in Antwerp

• ANTWERP | Museum Plantin-Moretus’ ‘Plantin’s Plants’ exhibition until 2 August 2026.
• FOMU 2026 | Carrie Mae Weems, Diane Severin Nguyen, Families, and Tenderly There by Tashattot.
• ANTWERP | M HKA opens new season with exhibition on censorship and artistic resistance.
• ANTWERP | Climb the Cathedral of Our Lady tower.
• ANTWERP | Rubens House appoints two design teams.
• ROYAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP | ‘The Fall of Alba’s Citadel. Image and Memory in Turbulent Times’, from 6 February to 17 May 2026.
• Antwerp’s municipal museums surpass 2 million visitors in 2025.
• ANTWERP | KMSKA schedules ambitious exhibition programme for 2026, featuring international masters such as Antony Gormley, Philip Aguirre y Otegui and Ossip Zadkine.
• Museums of the City of Antwerp look ahead to 2026.
• REVIEW | ‘La ligne de vie’ René Magritte exhibition at Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA).
• REVIEW | ‘Universal Tongue’, on dance, at Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) until 4 January 2026.
• 2028 to be Music Year in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Museum Mayer van den Bergh opens exhibition ‘Public Favourites’, from Mad Meg to Delft Blue, look at art through other people’s eyes.
• ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
• ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
• ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
• A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
• REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
• Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
• Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
• ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
• Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
• BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
• Red Star Line Museum.
• Paleis op de Meir. 
• DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
• ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.