The Antwerp Six and Martin Margiela: Who They Are and Where to Find Them Now
The Antwerp Six and Martin Margiela: Who They Are and Where to Find Them Now
The Antwerp Six are six designers who graduated from the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in the early 1980s and took Belgian fashion to London and Paris: Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee. Martin Margiela studied at the same academy and finished a year before most of them, which is why he is often called the seventh. Coveti carries Maison Margiela and Dries Van Noten, the two houses from that school with the widest reach today.
Quick answer
- Who: Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee.
- Where: all trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
- When: they showed together in London in the mid 1980s, and the British press gave them the name.
- Margiela: not one of the six, but from the same academy and the same moment.
How the Antwerp Six got their name
The group travelled to London to show at the British Designer Show in the mid 1980s. Their names were hard for the English press to pronounce, so journalists called them the Antwerp Six. The label stuck, and it turned a small Belgian art school into one of the most watched fashion schools in the world. Each designer then built a very different label.
The six, one by one
- Ann Demeulemeester: romantic, poetic black and white tailoring, often called the most rock and roll of the group.
- Dries Van Noten: print, colour and rich fabric. He stepped back in 2024 and Julian Klausner now designs the house; read our piece on Julian Klausner at Dries Van Noten.
- Walter Van Beirendonck: bright, graphic, political menswear, and a long career teaching at the Antwerp academy.
- Dirk Van Saene: experimental, craft-heavy work and teaching.
- Dirk Bikkembergs: menswear with a sports edge, especially football.
- Marina Yee: the quietest of the six, known for reworked and recycled garments.
Why Margiela is called the seventh
Margiela finished at the academy in 1979, worked freelance, then went to Paris to assist Jean Paul Gaultier before founding his own house in 1988. He was never part of the London trip, but his work shared the Antwerp habits: a serious interest in how clothes are built, a love of black and a distrust of obvious glamour. Read the full story in who is Martin Margiela.
What the Antwerp school looks like in a wardrobe
The Belgian way of dressing is intellectual but wearable: strong coats, long skirts, big shirts and a mostly dark palette with one interesting texture. Margiela adds deconstruction; Dries Van Noten adds print. A Virgin Wool Long Coat in Black with a Draped Long Skirt in Black and a white shirt is a very Antwerp outfit. For a print, the Paisley Print Midi Skirt in Black brings in pattern without breaking the mood.
Shop the Belgian designers at Coveti
- Maison Margiela: deconstructed tailoring, treated denim and bias-cut dresses.
- Dries Van Noten: prints, colour and embroidered pieces.
For more labels with the same thinking, see brands like Maison Margiela.
Maison Margiela at a glance
| Founded | 1988, Paris, by Martin Margiela and Jenny Meirens |
| Creative director | Glenn Martens, since January 2025 (after Martin Margiela to 2009 and John Galliano, 2014 to 2024) |
| Owner | OTB, the Italian group founded by Renzo Rosso, majority owner since 2002 |
| Signatures | The four white stitches, the blank numbered label, the Tabi split toe, deconstruction, Artisanal remade garments |
| Lines | Artisanal (couture), the main collection, and MM6 Maison Margiela, launched in 1997 |
| Made in | Most ready-to-wear is made in Italy; a few pieces are made in France |
| Sizes at Coveti | Italian sizes IT 36 to 50 (UK 4 to 18), letter sizes XS to XXL for knitwear, waist sizes for jeans |
Frequently asked questions
Who are the Antwerp Six?
Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee, six designers from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Is Martin Margiela part of the Antwerp Six?
No. He studied at the same academy and finished a year before most of them, so he is often called the seventh, but he was not part of the group.
Why are they called the Antwerp Six?
The British press gave them the name when they showed together in London in the mid 1980s, because their Belgian names were hard to pronounce.
Is Dries Van Noten still designing?
Dries Van Noten retired from his label in 2024. Julian Klausner is now its creative director.
Where is the Antwerp fashion school?
The fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts is in Antwerp, Belgium.
Read next: who is Martin Margiela, brands like Maison Margiela, Glenn Martens at Margiela.
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