Momento — Olivier Theyskens

「 Momento 」Following the increased attention paid in recent years to Antwerp’s hold on the fashion industry, it’s no surprise that various “forgotten” designers would be uncovered and appreciated. Since the late 1980’s, Antwerp has served as a powerhouse for challenging and groundbreaking fashion producing some of the most significant designers, usually with the public eye turned towards the Antwerp Six, Martin Margiela and Raf Simons. These designers are revered for good reason, but because of their acclaim, there have been many designers who have fallen to the wayside (though they’ve produced work that is just as crucial to the development of Antwerp fashion). In the article below, we’ll be exploring the work of three of these “forgotten” designers, namely Jurgi Persoons, Veronique Branquinho, and Olivier Theyskens. We posit that these designers, like their acclaimed compatriots, produced potent and meaningful work that was experimental and of inherent artistic value. These range from the Lynchian atmosphere of Branquinho, to the cool and collected punk reiterations of Persoons, to the borderline contemporary-performance-art presentations of early Theyskens.