Fashion reflects social, societal, cultural, artistic and aesthetic ideas. It occupies a prominent position in our culture and economy, defines a period and can be both controversial and revolutionary. In this sense, a fashion designer can put a personal stamp on the times.
The Fashion Department was founded by Mary Prijot in 1963. She was a great advocate of a fully developed fashion design department with a big focus on drawing. Thereafter, Linda Loppa took over, further developing the department with her strong vision and world view, imposing high creative standards and setting the department on the international map. From 2007 until 2022, Walter Van Beirendonck shaped the department with a sharp eye to creativity and pure artistic expression, always keeping the highest creative and professional standards that had been laid out from the beginning. As from 2022, Brandon Wen has been appointed as the new creative director of theFashion Department. With his energy and creative vision, we will continue the enormous legacy of the department culminating in the yearly SHOW and EXPO.
The Fashion department of the Antwerp Academy is internationally known for its idiosyncratic approach to fashion as a creative process. This charisma creates a great international appeal, as a result of which the majority of our fashion students come from abroad.
Each student is supervised individually and enters into dialogue with a team of lecturers who are experts in their field. Together with an international group of fellow students they offer the polyphonic and stimulating sounding board for progressive personal insight and creative growth.
Drawing is a crucial part in developing the concept, visualizing the ideas and designing the collection. In addition, the thorough study of materials and techniques plays a crucial role.
The student explores fashion-related subjects such as fashion graphics, coupe, modelling and knitting. In addition, workshops, study trips and projects are regularly organized. Research methodology, art history and art theory offer a theoretical foundation, as do specific subjects such as fashion history.
Through personal research into and analysis of the various technical, social and artistic aspects of fashion, the student develops a concept and then uses sketches and other visual techniques to develop it into a stimulating and personal collection. We stimulate the future fashion designer to think critically, develop a personal signature and work autonomously. Creativity and authenticity are central to this.
Our graduates are artistically, technically and theoretically prepared to find their way as independent designers or to work in a design team.