Ann Demeulemeester, left, wears
her own design, a black silk crepe
wrap that ties at the side. The wrap
can be worn as a tunic or a dress,
and sells for about $270 in the
U.S. Below, she teams a short
pleated skirt with jersey leggings,
and completes the look with a
hand-made hat.

make a point to never cut cor-
ners."
The shape of his clothes is
classic, always basic yet ex-
tremely fashion forward. Van
Noten clearly gets a quick kick
out of breaking the rules. "I do
a lot of 'wrong' things — things
that are traditionally not con-
sidered in good taste," he says.
Born and raised in Antwerp,
Van Noten began to design
commercial collections while still
a student at the Academy. After
graduation, he lived in Italy,
designing collections that were
manufactured there. About this
time, the Belgian government
was starting the Golden Spindle
competition. The original con-
test organizer, Helena Ravijst,
scouting for young Belgian
designers, happened upon the
group of six. They immediately
formed a dynamic relationship.
"She really believed in us and
we worked very well with her,"
Van Noten recalls.
To enter the Golden Spindle
competition, each contestant
must design a small collection
that is shown to a national and
international jury. The first con-
test attracted 12 candidates
from different design schools
throughout Belgium. The winner
was Ann Demeulemeester. The
second year's winner was Dirk
Van Saene. The third annual
Golden Spindle award went to
Dirk Bikkembergs. All of these
designers are part of the "Six of
Antwerp" group.
Even if they don't win, the
Golden Spindle contest gives
young Belgian designers an op-
portunity to show their work
before an international au-