Book Presentation: Queering Masculinities in Antwerp Fashion

During the Antwerp.Fashion Festival, Nicola Brajato presents his book Queering Masculinities in Antwerp Fashion. During his research, Brajato made grateful use of the rich archives of the MoMu Library. For this special occasion, the library presents a unique selection from its archival collection, which can be visited during the afternoon.

In Queering Masculinities in Antwerp Fashion, Brajato traces the historical development of the Antwerp fashion scene, highlighting designers such as Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs, Raf Simons, Bernhard Willhelm, and Glenn Martens. Their work challenges traditional gender binaries, embraces non-normative bodies, and engages with queer sexual politics through both subtle and explicit visual languages.

Drawing on archival materials from Belgian and international fashion institutions, including runway and campaign imagery, invitations, and lookbooks, as well as interviews with key figures, Brajato positions Antwerp as a vital site for rethinking and queering masculinities through experimental fashion practices.

During this book presentation, Nicola Brajato will be joined by Eve Demoen to further unpack these themes. Together, they will discuss how fashion can reshape ideas of masculinity, identity, and the body, and what this means in both historical and contemporary contexts.

Nicola Brajato is a writer, lecturer, and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Antwerp. His work focuses on the relationship between fashion and masculinities at the intersection of fashion studies, critical studies on men and masculinities, and queer theory. Nicola is the author of the book Queering Masculinities in Antwerp Fashion (Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2026) and of a forthcoming volume on Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck (Fashion Auteurs series, Anthem Press, 2027).

Eve Demoen is a curator at Modemuseum Hasselt and holds an MA in Art History and Archaeology. She creates exhibitions that connect under-researched stories with a particular emphasis on the role of women in fashion and she explores different curatorial formats and collaborative approaches, working with contributors from diverse fields. Recent projects include M&Others: Fashion and Motherhood (2024) and Memory is Home (2026).