The Antwerp Six: everything you need to know about the expo at MoMu Antwerp
TL;DR:
- MoMu Antwerp celebrates forty years of the Antwerp Six with their first major solo exhibition
- The exhibition runs until 17 January 2027, Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm
- Curated by Geert Bruloot and MoMu director Kaat Debo
- It's the very first time the six take centre stage together in one exhibition
- Book tickets online via momu.be
In 1986, six young Belgian designers drove a van full of clothes to London. No big budget, no famous names, but a sharp eye and a diploma from the Antwerp fashion academy in their pocket. Their presentation at the British Designer Show hit like a bombshell.
Forty years later, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs and Dirk Van Saene take centre stage in the first major solo exhibition ever dedicated to them. We went to see it at MoMu in Antwerp.
Who are the Antwerp Six?
Six designers, six completely different signatures, one shared turning point. They shared a stand in London but each showed their own work. No joint label, but a shared mission: to turn fashion on its head.
The poetic punk of Ann Demeulemeester, the playful activism of Walter Van Beirendonck, the sensual precision of Dirk Bikkembergs. They're still mentioned in the same breath, and rightly so.
The exhibition
MoMu celebrates the fortieth anniversary of their international breakthrough with a retrospective that runs until 17 January 2027. Not a tidy timeline but a layered, substantive presentation of their work, their influence and their differences.
Curator Geert Bruloot, co-founder of the legendary Antwerp boutique Louis and a key figure in their international breakthrough, put the exhibition together with MoMu director Kaat Debo.
Why the trip is worth it
This is the very first time the six take centre stage together in one exhibition. For anyone who wants to understand how Belgian fashion changed the international fashion world, and why Antwerp is still one of the most relevant fashion cities in the world, this is required viewing.
Practical information
The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm. Tickets can be booked online via momu.be. The exhibition runs until 17 January 2027, so you've got time, but a weekend in Antwerp is of course best planned while the city is still quiet.
Want to take Belgian design home with you? Check out the collections of Dries Van Noten and Dirk Bikkembergs, or discover all designers.
Frequently asked questions about the Antwerp Six exhibition
Who are the Antwerp Six?
Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs and Dirk Van Saene. Six designers who shared a stand at the British Designer Show in London in 1986, each with their own work and signature, and in doing so forced the international breakthrough of Belgian fashion.
Until when does the Antwerp Six exhibition run at MoMu?
The exhibition runs until 17 January 2027 and can be visited Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm. Book tickets online via momu.be.
Why are the Antwerp Six important?
Their presentation in London in 1986 put Belgian fashion on the international map in one go and changed the idea of what fashion could be. They shared no label but did share a mission, and their influence is the reason Antwerp is still one of the most relevant fashion cities in the world.
Is this the first exhibition about the Antwerp Six?
It's the first major solo exhibition in which the six take centre stage together. Their work has been shown in broader presentations before, but never as the joint subject of a retrospective of this scale.
