“I have to get something to eat before this turns into a proper Belgian party,” bemoaned one guest at the A.F. Vandevorst farewell party on Saturday evening. Nothing maudlin here: there were refreshments, good music and plenty of anecdotes about the duo formed by An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx since their first day at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
“At school, they were very different, each with their own temperament,” remembered former schoolmate Walter Van Beirendonck. “I was very surprised that they joined up. It was through love but I didn’t see that coming.” He expressed regret to see the pair move on, although he saw it as “an opportunity to restart your life and do things outside of fashion.”
For many who had met the brand, it was a bittersweet closing of a chapter. Stephen Jones, a longtime collaborator of the brand who produced some of their striking headgear — a 2015 series of condors perched or soaring from heads came to mind — mentioned how he’d miss their distinctive and expressive shows. “It’s funny, when they said to me they’d been in business 22 years, well, I’ve just celebrated my 40th year. So to me, they’re just
“At school, they were very different, each with their own temperament,” remembered former schoolmate Walter Van Beirendonck. “I was very surprised that they joined up. It was through love but I didn’t see that coming.” He expressed regret to see the pair move on, although he saw it as “an opportunity to restart your life and do things outside of fashion.”
For many who had met the brand, it was a bittersweet closing of a chapter. Stephen Jones, a longtime collaborator of the brand who produced some of their striking headgear — a 2015 series of condors perched or soaring from heads came to mind — mentioned how he’d miss their distinctive and expressive shows. “It’s funny, when they said to me they’d been in business 22 years, well, I’ve just celebrated my 40th year. So to me, they’re just
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