PROUDLY BELGIAN: Anthony Vaccarello was named the designer of the year at the recent Belgian Fashion Awards.
“[He] knows how to bring change in an interesting way at a high level, both for men and women,” declared the 2023 jury led by Serge Carreira, head of emerging brands initiative at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. “Not only did he make Saint Laurent relevant again, but he has been building his trajectory for a very long time with a certain consistency that has never been rewarded until now. It’s time to pay tribute to that.”
Previous winners include Glenn Martens, who won in 2022 and 2018, Nicolas Di Felice, Christian Wijnants and Raf Simons.
Meanwhile, Antwerp-based Jan-Jan Van Essche was awarded this year’s jury prize, considered the BFA’s top prize and which honors the career of a designer who is either Belgian or working for a Belgian fashion house.
With his 13-year-old eponymous label, he “brought slow fashion even before the phenomenon had a name” and won “because he demonstrates that it’s not about the size of your business but about your talent.”
Distinguished in previous years were Stéphanie D’heygere, Dirk Van Saene, Walter van Beirendonck, Martin Margiela and Dries Van Noten.
After winning three prizes at this year’s edition of the International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories — Hyères, Igor Dieryck can add the Belgian Fashion Award’s emerging talent of the year gong to his shelf.
Having impressed the jury with “his determination and hypercreative, almost poetic designs,” he will receive a 5,000-euro cash prize and see one of his silhouettes purchased by Fashion and Lace Museum of Brussels for its permanent collection.
The BFA’s inaugural accessories prize was handed to designer Sarah Levy, who won the public’s vote at the 2019 Hyères festival and has freelanced for labels such as Marine Serre, Patou and Givenchy.
Other winners of the edition include digital artist Frederik Heyman, who was named professional of the year; contemporary artist Laetitia Bica as changemaker of the year for her “unique perspective, creatively expanding the view of the human body”; and Leslie Novignon, this year’s most promising graduate; and brand of the year Orta.
In the jury led by Carreira were Caroline Esgain, director of the Fashion & Lace Museum; Elisa De Wyngaert, curator of the MoMu Antwerp museum; Eve Demoen, curator of Modemuseum Hasselt; designer Meryll Rogge; Thomas Tistounet, founder and chief executive officer of Paris-based showroom Untitled, as well as members of the press.
The awards have been organized since 2017 by Flanders DC, a non-profit organization launched by the Flemish government to promote the design and fashion sector; the MAD Brussels fashion and design platform; Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode, which supports the internationalization of labels based in Brussels and the French-speaking Wallonia region; and publications Weekend Knack and Le Vif Weekend.