Fashion around the world
Comparing fashion (personalities) in Austria and Belgium
The street fashion style in Belgium is more confident and interesting than in Austria. Fashion seems to be more important to Belgian people than it is to Austrians. However, does this little country really have more notable designers than we have in Austria? And what about fashion bloggers and influencers?
In Belgium, Antwerp is the fashion hot spot you won’t come around. It is the hometown of one of the most important Fashion Colleges, namely the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. The Antwerp Six all graduated from this Academy and each started an impressive career in Fashion. Furthermore, many more bloggers and fashion personalities come from Antwerp.
Comparing Designers
The Antwerp Six, as the name says, are six designers — Dries van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, Dirk van Saene, Walter van Beirendonck — based in Antwerp. They all graduated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and got together to participate at the London Fashion Week in the late 1980s. Their show was a huge success, however, they split up afterwards and continued to work individually.
In 1986 Dries van Noten founded his own fashion label, which only focussed on menswear. He’s been able to present his work at the Paris Fashion Week since 1993, his fanbase steadily growing. Nowadays he has showrooms in Milano, Paris, Hongkong, Singapur and Tokio and he recently celebrated his 100th Fashion show.
The second Belgian designer is Glenn Martens, who’s originally from Bruges. He as well graduated at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he had applied to spontaneously with some interior sketches. He is now Creative Director of Y/Project, a brand that can consider Rihanna, Bella and Gigi Hadid as its fans.
Fashion in Austria is something you might have to look for. There are a few fashion schools and also some fashion interested personalities. However, there doesn’t seem to be a proper fashion scene yet. Closest to a fashion hot spot though, is Austrias capital Vienna. As fashion student Theresa Resch says: “Vienna is for sure more a fashion metropolis than any other city in Austria.” In Vienna, modern fashion can be found, next to traditional clothing.
Just few young Austrian fashion designers actually keep working in or from Austria. Viennese Theresa R. states: “Many students want to establish their own label and celebrate a breakthrough with their designs, however, some want to work for and with major fashion labels.”
Roshi Parker is an example for a young designer, who started her education and carreer in Austria, however, she now lives in Paris. The 27-years-young woman won the Chloé Fashion Award, which she had applied for to have something relevant to start an international carreer. She is happy working as part of a team for Kenzo in Paris, rather than founding a label of herself.
One of Austria’s most successful designers, or as she calls herself ‘tailor’, is the 36-years-old Lena Hoschek. After her graduation, Hoschek started an internship in London at Vivien Westwood. Just after that, with only 24 years of age, she founded her fashion label in Vienna in 2005. Her designs are inspired by Pin-Ups from the 50s — with skirts in the form of plates and tight tops — as well as Austrian traditional clothing — which means nostalgic patterns and an emphasis on female curves. She is convinced ‘Every woman looks amazing in a Dirndl’.
Comparing Bloggers
Paulien Riesis made blogging her carrier. The 25-years-old model lives in Antwerp for over five years now. ‘You can feel the creativity in the air’ she says, considering herself a local by now. Riemis blog Polienne works as a style diary, where she presents her elegant outfits or minimalist girly looks. How important her blog has become for the fashion scene is best proven by the fact that Khloé Kardashion used one of her pictures on her site.
An upward climbing Austrian Fashion Blogger is Hristina, who runs her blog Fleur De Mode since 2012. For the work on her blog she won the Style Award in 2012, as well as the Blog Award in 2014. Due to that and to her passion, collaborations with notable fashion brands, like Net-A-Porter, Gucci, L’Oréal Paris or Piaget soon followed.
Concluding, each city has personalities who ‘have made it’ in the Fashion scene. The chances for international success though, might be bigger in Belgium. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp is the oldest of its kind rated 4th place in Global Fashion School Ratings. It surely offers a great base for a carreer in fashion. However, when you’re prepared to put in lots of hours and work, where you start your carreer won’t make a big difference.
