{"id":792,"date":"2020-11-12T16:39:11","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T15:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=792"},"modified":"2020-11-12T16:39:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T15:39:11","slug":"brussels-europes-newest-up-and-coming-fashion-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/792\/brussels-europes-newest-up-and-coming-fashion-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"Brussels: Europe\u2019s newest up-and-coming fashion capital"},"content":{"rendered":"
Belgium has become a real fashion hub in recent years and a success model against the powerful brands from Paris and New York. This has prompted the Belgian Government to continue supporting the local talent with the aim of creating a well-established international sector.\u00a0The country has become a case study in schools for having established \u2018Made in Belgium\u2019 as a high-quality standard in just 35 years. Brussels and Antwerp are now rivalling to become the nation\u2019s fashion capital as both benefit from a convenient location in the heart of Europe and a vast pool of talent.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n While Antwerp has always been recognised by the international fashion industry \u2013 just think of the Antwerp Six<\/a> (Walter van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee) -, Brussels is just emerging as a contender. The city has understood that the fashion industry improves Brussels\u2019 image, boosts tourism and bolsters its economy. Brussels, just like Antwerp, currently is home to plenty of prominent fashion designers; Christian Wijnants, Olivier Theyskens and Alain Berteau, for example. Diane von Furstenberg was even born in Brussels.<\/p>\n ‘Antwerp has been the fashion capital of Belgium for many years, yet Brussels is catching up.’<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n But, how did Brussels emerge as a real \u2018fashion capital\u2019 over the last few years? According to Marjolein van de Munt, a fashion influencer with over 10,000 followers and fashion journalist, \u2018Antwerp has been the fashion capital of Belgium for many years. Antwerp has a large fashion museum (the MoMu), the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and well-known designers such as Ann Demeulemeester and Dries van Noten who have all studied there. Yet, Brussels is catching up. I think this has to do with the Brussels Fashion Days<\/a>, as well as MAD<\/a> (A collaborative exhibition by five\u00a0Brussels-based designers) and Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode<\/a> (a public agency that provides support to design and fashion companies, and designers in Wallonia and Brussels). The big names from Antwerp have been in the business for years and you can see that Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode and Brussels Fashion Days were both founded only about 10 years ago.\u2019<\/p>\n