Arts: MODO BRUXELLAE 2006

Modo Bruxellae parcours de stylistes 2006: from 27 to 29 October 2006

The Brussels fashion scene is growing. Though still not as well known as Antwerp, Brussels has also scored recently as a creative fashion center. The arrival of the so-called fashion movement of the “Antwerp Six” - Ann Demeulemeester, Walter van Beirendonck, Dirk van Saene, Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkemberg and Dries van Noten, all graduates of the Antwerp Fashion Academy - nearly 20 years ago, together with Martin Margiela, placed Belgium on the global fashion map.

Modo Bruxellae was born ten years ago as a showcase to raise awareness for Brussels’ fashion designers. By then Brussels wasn’t known as a fashion center, yet it already had talented designers like Olivier Strelli, Delvaux, Donaldson and others. With new talents coming out of designer school La Cambre, shops started opening and selling works by local designers, like the shop “Stijl” in 1984 in Rue Antoine Dansaert. That also boosted the local fashion scene and they would be followed by other shops in the area. Still today fashion victims move around the La Bourse area - around Rue Dansaert and Rue Léon Lepage.

“Modo Bruxellae’s job is to work alongside this organic growth to give it direction and make sure that the talent keeps on emerging. More designers than ever are choosing to set up shop in the city and a distinct fashion network is developing. La Cambre Mode is the city’s foremost visual arts college and generates the most widely recognised designers. “When speaking about fashion in Belgium, people tend to only mention Antwerp, but nowadays a lot of young designers from La Cambre are becoming as influential as their Flemish counterparts”. The best know case is that of José Enrique Oña Selfa, who worked for Spanish luxury brand Loewe for their womens’ collection, while fellow colleague Laetitia Crahay designs jewellery for Chanel and is also head designer at Delvaux. Olivier Theyskens became famous when Madonna wore one of his outfits. (…)”

The purpose of Modo Bruxellae is to generate business for the city’s fashion market. This includes the promotion of different events – including catwalk shows, exhibitions, award shows and stock sales – and also aims to engage the public as well. One of the most interesting and creative events is the annual designer trails, which invite local designers to display their clothing in various unexpected locations.