2021 has marks the 4th edition of the Belgian Fashion Awards. Flanders DC (Flanders District of Creativity), Le Vif Weekend, Knack Weekend, WBDM and MAD (Brussels Fashion and Design Platform) have joined forces to put established names and emerging talent from the Belgian Fashion industry in the spotlight.
The world sees Belgian fashion as unique, avant garde and professional. With this in mind, we thought it was about time to show off the different aspects of the Belgian fashion industry by introducing the Belgian Fashion Awards. It is a one of a kind initiative for Belgium and and has taken place during Fashion Talks 2021 on the 25th of November.
seven awards were handed out in the following categories:
The Jury Prize 2021: Walter Van Beirendonck
Designer of the Year 2021: Nicolas Di Felice
Professional of the Year 2021: Benoit Bethume
Changemaker of the Year 2021: Resortecs
Emerging talent of the Year 2021 & Prize from the Fashion & Lace Museum, Brussels: Meryll Rogge
Most Promising Graduate 2021: Lili Schreiber
Fashion fire of the Year 2021, audience award: Imprevu
Belgian Fashion Awards x UPR prize: Bernadette
The international jury
Chris Dercon (BE), chairperson of Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais, Paris
Giancarlo Angeletti (BE), founder and owner of VIER Antwerp
Vena Brykalin (UA), art director Vogue Ukraine
Serge Carreira, head of the Emerging Brands Initiative, Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
Eve Demoen (BE), curator of the Hasselt Fashion Museum
Elisa De Wyngaert (BE), curator of the MOMU, Antwerp
Angelo Flaccavento (IT), freelance fashion journalist for media organisations like the Business Of Fashion
Catherine Gauthier (BE), curator of the Mode & Lace Museum, Brussels
Alex Keller (DE), ex-CEO Jil Sander, commercial director Balenciaga and Martin Margiela
Christopher Morency (CAN), editorial director HighSnobiety
Pascale Mussard (FR), chairman of the Festival de Hyères
Guillaume Steinmetz (FR), founder of The Broken Arm, Paris
Marie-Hélène Vanderborght (BE), journalist, C’est du Belge, RTBF
Christian Wijnants (BE), fashion designer & winner of the BFA Designer of the Year 2019
About the Belgian Fashion Awards
The Belgian Fashion Awards have been organised annually since 2017 by the organisations Flanders DC, MAD Brussels, Wallonia-Brussels Design Mode (WBDM), and the magazines Knack Weekend and Le Vif Weekend. These awards were created to highlight the reputation, creativity, and diversity of Belgian fashion both at home and abroad. We also want to pay attention here to those who work behind the scenes and provide a stage for lesser-known names and new talent. Annually, the awards are a stimulus to celebrate Belgian fashion, meet each other, and deepen ties across the creative sector. Besides being surreal, modest, industrious, avant-garde, and no-nonsense, the organisers show that Belgian fashion also stands for independence, personality, and sustainability. At the Belgian Fashion Awards, we give a voice to the Belgian fashion industry, which is usually humble.
