Ann Demeulemeester
A member of the Antwerp Six who pioneered deconstructed, almost grungy minimalism in fashion
Ann Demeulemeester was born in Belgium in 1959, and just like the rest of the Antwerp Six, studied fashion at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts. She founded her eponymous label in 1985 with her husband, and showed her first collection in 1992 at Paris Fashion Week. She founded a menswear line in 1996. Her work drew upon a range of different influences, from black metal and punk to Japanese cult styles. Her work has influenced a generation of designers after her, most notably Helmut Lang and Rick Owens.