Nicola Brajato

'Fashion' and 'Belgium' were not always considered synonyms. But in contemporary discourse surrounding fashion, Belgian fashion has become a widely known concept imbued with specific meanings. Indeed, starting from the late 1980s, the so-called 'Antwerp Six' put Belgian fashion in the spotlight with a new way of conceiving fashion in its relationship with body and identity. A conceptual approach that has defined the city of Antwerp, inspiring more than three generations of professionals, including designers, stylists, photographers and make-up artists that set the rules inside the fashion world, providing new standards and pushing aesthetic boundaries.
Consequently, the aim of this essay is to retrace the history of this relatively new scene and to point out its evolution from a mostly invisible local scene to a worldwide know fashion city, still continuing to influence the fashion system today.