LOOKS, LOOKS, LOOKS: New Voices from Antwerp

For generations, the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp has been a place where young designers develop their own voice. LOOKS, LOOKS, LOOKS brings together a selection of silhouettes by bachelor’s students, offering a glimpse into how a new generation of designers approaches fashion today.

For first-year student Nikol Ryabtseva, the strength of the programme lies precisely in the unexpected. "You never know what Antwerp students are going to come up with next. And that element of surprise might just be the most important thing in fashion."

She also emphasises the freedom the Academy offers: "The Academy gives us the freedom to develop our own visual language. Even though we study in the same place, everyone’s work ends up looking completely different."

Tobias Fannrich also points to this sense of freedom. "The cultural exchange and the different perspectives help us grow, both personally and creatively."

This international character is also reflected in the students’ designs. For Kristina Evert, a society shaped by control and conformity forms the starting point for her silhouettes, while Minghui Zhao’s collection CUTIE CAGE explores the tension between vulnerability, strength and the expectations associated with femininity.

For Zhao, this search for her own voice was precisely what brought her to Antwerp: "I came to Antwerp to discover my own voice as a designer."

Although each student follows their own path, they share the same sense of curiosity. For them, fashion is more than clothing: it is also a way of making ideas visible. LOOKS, LOOKS, LOOKS offers a unique insight into the work, ideas and imagination of a new generation of designers.

Join us at MoMu on Thursday, 5 November for the festive finissage of LOOKS, LOOKS, LOOKS. The students of the Fashion Department will take over the museum for the evening with a programme of their own.