Antwerp Six member Marina Yee has passed away

Belgian designer Marina Yee, a member of the Antwerp Six collective which revolutionised fashion in the 1980s, passed away on Sunday at the age of 67, the ModeMuseum Antwerpen has announced.

“Her name is inextricably linked to the legendary Antwerp Six collective, which put Belgian fashion on the global map,” the museum emphasised.

In 1986, six young Flemish designers, graduates of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, packed their creations into a van and stormed the “British Designer Show” in London.

Due to their names being almost unpronounceable outside of Belgium, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck and Dirk Bikkembergs became known as the Antwerp Six. Their sober, raw and deconstructed creations were the antithesis of an era dominated by sequins and shoulder pads.

Since then, these designers have taken different paths. These range from the relative anonymity of Marina Yee to the international success of Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, who are celebrated from Tokyo to New York. Dirk Bikkembergs also found fame, with his T-shirts and trainers worn by athletes.

Even before the death of Marina Yee, who died from cancer, the ModeMuseum Antwerpen had planned to dedicate an exhibition to the Antwerp Six in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their international breakthrough.