Ann Demeulemeester leaves namesake label

By

Florent Gilles

Published
Nov 20, 2013

Ann Demeulemeester is leaving her namesake brand. After rising to fame in the eighties as one the Antwerp Six, Demeulemeester announced the news via a handwritten note sent to those who have supported her throughout her career.

"Ann Demeulemeester is an adult brand now with its own identity and legacy that is able to continue growing without me,” the note said. Represented by press agency Michèle Montaigne in Paris - an agency that also works with Helmut Lang and Haider Ackermann - Ann Demeulemeester first released her womenswear collection in 1985 before expanding into menswear in 1996. The Belgium-based brand will continue to show its collections at Paris Fashion Week.

Known for her avant-garde and gothic aesthetic, Ann Demeulemeester creations are sold at over 200 points of sale across the world. The label also operates three standalone stores including a flagship store in Antwerp, home also to the prestigious Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, from which the designer graduated in 1981.