In March 2026, MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp – opens a major fashion exhibition dedicated to the Antwerp Six, a groundbreaking collective that reshaped global style. Titled The Antwerp Six, the retrospective celebrates the 40th anniversary of their international debut and runs from March 28th, 2026, to January 17th, 2027.
This fashion exhibition is the first to fully spotlight all six designers together: Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dirk Van Saene, and Marina Yee. Known collectively as the Antwerp Six, these Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduates took the fashion world by storm in 1986 when they presented their work at London Fashion Week. The moment marked a turning point—not just for Belgium, but for avant-garde fashion globally.
Curated by Geert Bruloot alongside MoMu’s Kaat Debo and Romy Cockx, the fashion exhibition dives into both collective momentum and individual vision. An early Ann Demeulemeester look channels poetic minimalism, while Walter Van Beirendonck’s technicolor designs blur boundaries between pop, performance, and politics. From Van Noten’s luxurious prints to Bikkembergs’ athletic cuts, each designer’s essence is represented through archival garments and visual storytelling.
The power of the Antwerp Six lies not only in their aesthetic innovation but in how they proved that fashion could be intellectual, radical, and deeply personal. Through multimedia displays, sketches, and runway footage, the fashion exhibition traces their legacy and lasting impact on contemporary design.
Ultimately, The Antwerp Six is more than a retrospective—it’s a celebration of six rule-breaking minds whose shared roots in Antwerp sparked a creative revolution. Whether you’re a seasoned fashion historian or a newcomer, this fashion exhibition offers a rare, in-depth look at how the Antwerp Six redefined what fashion could be.