Happy Birthday Dear Academie!
The fashion department at the Royal Academy of Art in Antwerp is one of the most prestigious fashion design programmes worldwide. Their fiftieth anniversary is the perfect opportunity for MoMu to dedicate an exhibition to the fashion department’s history and the success story of Antwerp fashion.
The exhibition will highlight various aspects of Antwerp fashion education during the first fifty years of its existence: the department’s specific curriculum and its education and evaluation methods, the importance of graphic design in fashion, the various generations of students and their careers, the friendship and emergence of the ‘Antwerp Six’ (Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Walter Van Beirendonck, Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs) and Martin Margiela, and the graduation projects of some of the most noteworthy alumni.
This exhibition paints a picture of the programme as an artistic cocoon. Students are encouraged to achieve their utmost potential and expand their skills as well as develop an artistic signature on which they can build their future career. This exhibition illustrates how diverse the careers of the Academy’s alumni are and how this programme has left a mark on the international fashion world.
Exhibition under the lead of Curators: Walter Van Beirendonck, Kaat Debo, Karen Van Godtsenhoven, & Geert Bruloot | Scenographers: Walter Van Beirendonck & Geert Bruloot.