Why This European City Is Fashion’s Next Big Thing

Four decades ago, a group of designers known as the Antwerp Six put Belgian fashion on the map. The city has since become an avant-garde fashion hub—an insider’s paradise for those in the know. The appeal of Antwerp, compared to industry capitals like Paris or New York, is that it is niche: a designer’s destination.

The teasing of a 4-day fashion festival earmarked for 2026 shows the city is on a mission—to carve out a space alongside the top-level competitors on its own terms. The build-up to a full-scale event with presentations and shows in 2026 saw the core organizers—Flanders DC, City of Antwerp, MoMu, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts—host a number of activations from 5-7 June.

These included Fashion Talks, a series of industry deep-dives usually held in November; an interactive Fashion Walk around the city which opened studios to the public or paired designers with independent retailers, and of course, the prestigious graduate show from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts’ fashion department.

“We are on an upward trajectory but how the sector and consumers operate is changing,” said Koen Kennis, the Alderman for Retail Trade and Tourism at the Fashion Talks event on 5 June. “We want to make it economically viable but responsible and inclusive.” The impact of the creative industries in Flanders has been documented in a new report from the Department of Economy, Science, and Innovation, painting a picture of volatility.

The latest figures show that in 2023, 200 companies had fewer employees than previous years—a drop from 1,250 in 2018 to 1,050. There was also a fluctuation in the number of workers in full-time employment. In 2018, 37,500 companies in the fashion industry had full-time employees. By 2020, this had dropped dramatically to 29,000 —a “catastrophic loss” of over 8,000 jobs, according to Kennis.

However, the study had bright spots. By 2023, that figure was back on track with 35,500 in employment. It recorded €1 billion more revenue in 2023 compared to 2018 and €130 million more in added value. The number of self-employed people in Flanders’ fashion industry was up too: data found 2,500 more were registered as self-employed in 2023 than in previous years. “It’s still not easy for many and there are a lot of challenges but there is clearly light at the end of the tunnel,” added Kennis. It’s clearly punching above it’s weight.

This potential can be seen in the number of brands with solid businesses in Flanders. Bernadette—the breakout mother-daughter duo of Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter—is a prime example. In five years, it has secured 98 points of sale around the world for its hand-drawn prints, and couture-inspired silhouettes including in China, New Zealand, the US, and Saudi Arabia. A recent expansion into homeware means a towel capsule is on the horizon.

“The way we work is intuitively and emotionally,” explains Charlotte de Geyter in a meet-and-greet at Graanmarkt 13 as part of the Fashion Walk. “Belgium has a very strong history of fashion. But everyone here has a different point of view, whether that’s Ann Demeulemeester or us.” She pointed out that while it’s a small city, it has plenty of upsides for designers—from ample space to unhindered time to focus on creativity.

Several other women-led brands were presented at various retail spots as part of the mini-tour. Artisanal leather designer Marie Bernadette Woehrl was tucked away in Ganterie Boon—one of Europe’s last surviving family-run glove stores. Florentina Leitner showcased a fairytale-inspired installation at textile studio Bakermat; German brand Rundholz gave space to the digital craft of Australian designer Flora Miranda.

The inclusion of REantwerp, a socially-driven sustainable atelier, shows the wealth of diversity and creativity in the region. The brainchild of designer Tim Van Steenbergen and journalist Ruth Goossens, it collaborates with the non-profit labor organization GATAM—which stands for Great Distance to the Labor Market—to offer employment to refugees with a background in textiles and making.

“We are giving people a future through fashion,” Van Steenbergen explained from an exhibition in the brand’s new home of Kleine Markt 7. This space will double as a store and workspace so customers see the makers when they shop, helping them “understand the value of the clothes.” Conversely, this set-up will help the newcomers into Antwerp to understand their role in the value chain. As well as coming from war-torn areas like Syria, Palestine, and Ukraine, they often join Van Steenbergen from countries where clothing has been chronically devalued such as Turkey.

The weekend drew to a close with the hottest ticket in town: the Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate show. Hundreds of students took to the stage in a 4 hour combined runway presentation. In the show publication, Johan Pas, the Dean of the Royal College’s notes upheld this ethos of responsible fashion. Pas argued: “If we are what we wear, we should take full responsibility in the choice of what we wear,” suggesting that by delegating the crucial functions inherent with the most personal of choices (the creation of the clothes) to people we don’t essentially know, we are, essentially, transferring that immense responsibility onto designers.

Unusually, the show is open to the public and despite the €50 ticket, draws guests from all over Europe. 2025’s MA graduates to watch include Annaëlle Reudink and Floran Polano as well as the equally promising third-year student Carla Lázaro.

Brandon Wen, creative director of the fashion department, emphasized the dynamism of Antwerp—a sharp contrast to the industry’s current ecosystem, which, he said, only benefits the big conglomerates. Wen is calling for a restructure in favour of those attempting to create an alternative system, one based on idiosyncrasy. Not an easy task. But if there’s a city with the vision to rethink a broken framework, it’s Antwerp.

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