KMSKA x YOUNG FASHION DESIGNERS: An explosive encounter between art and fashion
From 4 June to 8 November 2026, within the framework of Antwerp.Fashion Festival 2026, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) will welcome a new generation of international fashion designers. In KMSKA x YOUNG FASHION DESIGNERS, ten designers will interact with the museum's collection and present their creations in the museum galleries. Each design is based on a personal interpretation of a work of art, motif, technique or emotion from the collection. The result is a surprising itinerary in which fashion and art challenge, reinforce and reinterpret one another.
Forty years after the international breakthrough of the Antwerp Six, the KMSKA is marking a new chapter. The show brings together ten young designers who build on a rich tradition, yet simultaneously express their own radical voices: personal, experimental and unmistakably contemporary. What unites them is their formation at the Antwerp Fashion Academy, internationally renowned for its mastery, creative daring and individuality.
The show itinerary unfolds across the various museum galleries. Fabrics, volumes and silhouettes respond to paintings, sculptures and historical details from the collection. This creates a bridge between centuries-old craftsmanship and new creative talent.
Each designer selected a work, motif or theme from the collection as the starting point for a new silhouette. Some designs are inspired by form and material, others by emotion, symbolism or technique. The show not only presents the finished creations, but also offers a glimpse into the creative process. Sketchbooks, research into materials and technical experiments reveal how ideas are translated into tangible fashion creations.
In doing so, each design develops its own visual language. Lucio Fontana, for instance, inspires a play of threedimensional effects, whilst Rik Wouters prompts a search for beauty in the everyday. Elsewhere, a design explores the fragility of the material, with subtle references to the Belgian lace-making tradition. From baroque drapery to upcycling - KMSKA x YOUNG FASHION DESIGNERS demonstrates just how multifaceted the dialogue between art and fashion can be.
It’s wonderful to see how each silhouette bears a personal signature. The designers have worked instinctively and experimentally. In dialogue with the museum collection, silhouettes emerge that are at once sculptural, emotional and contemporary.
KMSKA x YOUNG FASHION DESIGNERS also highlights the exceptional position of Antwerp fashion on the international stage. The Antwerp Fashion Academy has produced designers who have helped shape fashion worldwide and raised it to unprecedented heights. Today, alumni of the academy are at the helm of international fashion houses, whilst a new generation stands ready to carry on that tradition.
With KMSKA x YOUNG FASHION DESIGNERS, the museum demonstrates how the interplay between disciplines can open up new perspectives. By bringing fashion and art into dialogue with one another, new narratives emerge within the collection. At the same time, the show celebrates fashion as a cultural heritage in the making.
