Since the appointment of Pieter Mulier as artistic director of Maison Alaïa, Belgium has never been so present in the most prestigious fashion houses.  Whether they are confirmed or just starting out in the creation of their legend, focus on 5 Belgian fashion designers who are on the rise at the moment.

As we know, Belgian talent literally thrills fashion around the world. We no longer cite the Antwerp Six, which marked the 80s and 90s, the fashion schools whose reputation is praised internationally, and the small Belgian labels of which the celebrities are fans. But in recent years, some designers have stood out in particular, such as Pieter Mulier, who was Raf Simons&#39; right-hand man for more than 20 years, and who has just been appointed the artistic director of Maison Ala&iuml;a, an orphan since the master&#39;s death in 2017. Whether they are confirmed or just starting out in the creation of their legend, focus on 5 Belgian fashion designers who are on the rise at the moment.

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In February 2020, Prada announced the arrival of the Belgian designer as co-artistic director alongside Miuccia Prada. A real event that marked the return to the fashion scene of the genius, after he held the positions of artistic director of the houses of Jil Sander, Dior and Calvin Klein. Outside of fashion radars since 2018, the Flemish designer was discreet, until the announcement of the Italian house, in full Fashion Week.

Since his arrival at Prada, Raf Simons has had to push the limits of creativity, like all actors in the fashion world, while houses were wondering how to present their next collections without the possibility of organizing parades, respecting the sanitary measures. With Miuccia Prada, the Belgian presented his first spring-summer 2021 fashion show for the house, in a setting composed of yellow curtains and cameras pointed at the models. This was followed by a question-and-answer session broadcast live online, during which the two designers answered questions from social media. A new way of looking at fashion, therefore, which proves the designer&#39;s ability to reinvent himself in times of crisis.

Pieter Mulier at Maison Ala&iuml;a

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More than three years after the death of the legendary stylist Azzedine Ala&iuml;a, the designer&#39;s eponymous fashion brand announced on the 5th of February the appointment of Pieter Mulier to the highly coveted position of artistic director of the house. And if the choice fell on him, while his name is not yet known to the general public, it is because for almost two decades, the Belgian designer has worked alongside Raf Simons and has been widely considered his second as director of design at Christian Dior and director of world creation at Calvin Klein during the respective terms of Raf Simons at the head of the two houses. Today, Pieter Mulier is therefore taking off, and will unveil his first collection for Maison Ala&iuml;a for the spring-summer 2022 season. Stay tuned.

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On May 20, 2020, The Kooples announced the arrival of its new artistic director to strengthen its image: Tom Van Dorpe, originally from Ghent. At just 36 years old, this stylist turned designer and former fashion editor-in-chief of V Magazine can boast of having worked with the greatest, such as Rihanna. Since his arrival at The Kooples, where he is in charge of women&#39;s and men&#39;s collections but also of campaigns, we have notably witnessed the return of fashion campaigns embodied by famous couples, such as Tina Kunakey and Vincent Cassel, the new rebel muses&nbsp;of the French house.

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After having worked at Rochas, Nina Ricci, or Theory while directing his own eponymous brand, Olivier Theyskens was appointed artistic director of Azzaro in February 2020. Five months later, the creator, past master in the art of magnifying the noir, presented the&nbsp;first collection for the house, on the occasion of Haute Couture Fashion Week fall-winter 2020-2021. A special Fashion Week, since for the very first time, it was fully digital, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A constraint which will not have prevented him from making a mark, since he will unveil his creations through a film putting Belgian know-how in the spotlight, giving carte blanche to the singer-songwriter Sylvie Kreusch and the director Lukas Dhont. Three months more, the designer marks the spirits again with his first ready-to-wear collection unveiled during Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2021, and develops a wardrobe tribute to Myl&egrave;ne Farmer. The legend is on the move.

Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent

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Since his arrival at the helm of Saint Laurent in 2016, Anthony Vaccarello has excelled in his role as artistic director of one of the most prestigious fashion houses in the world. While professionals in the field wondered if the Belgian couturier would be able to take over the reins of the house after the unforgettable passage of Hedi Slimane, the artistic director of Saint Laurent from 2012 to 2016, Anthony Vaccarello managed to win with brio, and much faster than one might have thought.

From his third parade for Saint Laurent, the Belgian found a new magical place where to unveil his collections, at the height of the prestige of the house: the fountains of the Trocad&eacute;ro, on which the impressive set of the show is installed every Fashion Week, with a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower. What set the tone of his mandate: if Hedi Slimane removed &quot;Yves&quot; from the historic house, before redefining the logo and the aesthetics of the shops, Vaccarello will imbue it with his aura and creative ideas. Ditto for the creations: the pumps with heels in the shape of the house&#39;s YSL logo, that&#39;s him, the silver mirror-ball thigh-high boots, that&#39;s him, the fluorescent wardrobe too, not to mention the total vinyl look. Marking his stay at Saint Laurent at an indelible anchor, the designer insisted, while the Covid-19 pandemic was raging, to take the French house out of the official Fashion Week calendar, stressing that the imposed pace was too intense. It is therefore in December 2020 that the designer unveiled the spring-summer 2021 collection, captured on video in the middle of the desert, with the sand as far as the eye can see. This time, no more Eiffel Tower on the horizon, but a field of possibilities, making Anthony Vaccarello a Belgian designer in the wind for more than five years.

5 trendy Belgian fashion designers

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