Ann Demeulemeester

Ann Demeulemeester (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɑn dəˈmøːləˌmeːstər]; born December 29, 1959[1]) is a Belgian fashion designer whose eponymous label, Ann Demeulemeester, is mainly showcased at the annual Paris Fashion Week.[2] She is one of the Antwerp Six in the fashion industry.[2]

Ann Demeulemeester
Born
Ann Verhelst

(1959-12-29) December 29, 1959
Kortrijk, Belgium
Alma materRoyal Academy of Fine Arts
OccupationFashion designer
Years active1982–present
Spouse(s)
Patrick Robyn
​
(m. 1985)​
Children1

Early life

Ann Demeulemeester was born in Kortrijk in 1959[3] to Albert and Monique Verhelst-Pappijn,[4] and later lived in the city of Bruges. Initially, Demeulemeester showed no interest in fashion. She attended art school for three years, where she discovered her fascination with people and portraiture, which led her to begin thinking about clothing design.[5] From this, she went on to study fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp from 1978 to 1981.[2] In 1986, Demeulemeester, along with her fellow students from the Antwerp Royal Academy, went to London to showcase their collections. As a result of this, she is often referred to as a member of the 'Antwerp Six', the radical and distinctive Belgian designers of the 1980s.[2] This group of avant-garde designers are known for their deconstructivist styles of creating untraditional clothing lines.[2] Other notables from the group include Dries van Noten and Walter Van Beirendonck.[2]

Career

Early beginnings

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1981,[6] Demeulemeester found success almost immediately. A year after her graduation, she won the Gouden Spoel, an annually awarded prize to the year's most promising fashion designer.[7] Demeulemeester began working as a freelance designer for a few years.

Ann Demeulemeester

In 1985, Demeulemeester released her own line, Ann Demeulemeester, with husband Patrick Robyn.[2][8] In 1996, she debuted her own menswear line.[6]

Demeulemeester was influenced by gothic, punk, and Japanese cult styles, and her clothing is popular among so-called "goth ninjas".[9]

Despite having being approached by major fashion houses (names of which she refuses to divulge), Demeulemeester emphasizes both design and financial independence, and chooses to remain with her own line. She opened her own shop in Antwerp in 1999.[2] Her collections are now sold in over 30 countries worldwide.[10]

Demeulemeester worked with the artist Jim Dine, and draws inspiration from singer Patti Smith.[11] She worked on a clothing line inspired by Jackson Pollock.[2]

In June 2013, her parent company 32 BVBA, which also housed designer Haider Ackermann, split into independent brands. In November 2013, Demeulemeester announced she was leaving her eponymous fashion house.[2] The exit letter also explained that the brand will show its autumn/winter 2014 men's and women's collection together at February's Paris Fashion Week.[12] After Ann's departure in 2013, French designer Sébastien Meunier was named the artistic director of the maison;[8] he had previously designed for the men's collections since 2010.

The Demeulemeester label "operates freestanding stores in Antwerp, Hong Kong and Tokyo, and wholesales to an array of international retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York in America, L’Eclaireur and Le Bon Marché in Paris and Lane Crawford and Joyce in Hong Kong."[2]

Ann Demeulemeester Serax

After leaving fashion, Demeulemeester attended porcelain master classes in England and France. In 2019, she launched Ann Demeulemeester Serax, a collection of porcelain dinner services, silverware, glasses and larger housewares.[13]

Personal life

Demeulemeester married photographer Patrick Robyn in 1985,[14][2] together they have a son, Victor. The couple live in Antwerp, in the only house in Belgium designed by Le Corbusier.[2]

Awards
  • 1982 Golden Spindle Award, Belgium

See also

References
  1. "Ann Demeulemeester is part of the BoF 500". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  2. Socha, Miles (November 21, 2013). "Ann Demeulemeester Exits Fashion". WWD. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  3. "Ann Demeulemeester". Fashion Model Directory. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  4. Derammelaere, Dolf (Winter 2000). "Ten huize van..." Waregemse Gidsenkring (in Dutch) – via Waregem City Archives.
  5. Susannah Frankel (2002). "Ann Demeulemeester" (PDF). Dazed & Confused. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2010.
  6. Katherine Betts (April 1997). "Ann of Antwerp" (PDF). Vogue USA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2010.
  7. "Ann Demeulemeester stapt uit eigen modehuis". HLN. November 20, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  8. "BIOGRAPHY | Ann Demeulemeester". www.anndemeulemeester.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  9. DeLeon, Jian (November 20, 2013). "Ann Demeulemeester Is Leaving Her Fashion House". GQ. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  10. Kevin Davies (2003). "Ann Demeulemeester" (PDF). Fashion Now. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2010.
  11. Holston, Fred. "Take a Drag or Two". Patti Smith + Ann Demeulemeester. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  12. "Ann Demeulemeester to leave eponymous fashion house". Telegraph. November 2013.
  13. Stoppard, Lou (August 21, 2019). "Ann Demeulemeester Doesn't Miss Fashion at All. She Has Other Plans". The New York Times.
  14. "Fashion Rocks" (PDF). Retrieved January 16, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
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