The nominees of the Belgian Fashion Awards 2024

The Belgian Fashion Awards are an annual opportunity to celebrate Belgian fashion and to honour the creatives in the fashion industry. The event has been organised since 2017 by several partners active in the Belgian fashion scene, including the institutions Flanders DC, MAD Brussels and Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode, and the editorial boards of the magazines Knack Weekend and Le Vif Weekend.

The awards aim to highlight the creativity and diversity of Belgian fashion, both on a national and international level. In the fashion industry, Belgium is known as surrealistic, avant-garde and modest. During the award ceremony, this modesty is put aside to show that Belgian fashion is so much more. Belgian fashion stands for innovation, personality and sustainability.

These are the Belgian Fashion Awards nominees in different categories:

• Designer of the Year: This prize is awarded to a Belgian fashion designer or a designer working for a Belgian fashion house, whose work in one’s own name or for a fashion house has made an impression on the jury. The nominees are: Pieter Mulier, Meryll Rogge, Ester Manas, Jean-Paul Knott and Marina Yee.
• Professional of the Year: ​ This title goes to a Belgian professional who is not a fashion designer but has distinguished himself or herself over the past 12 months. The nominees are: Christophe Coppens, Daniel Henry, Aya Noël, ENFNTS TERRIBLE Magazine (Ruth Van Soom & Dries Vriesacker) and Baloji.
• Changemaker of the Year: This award is presented to a committed designer, professional or entrepreneur in the Belgian fashion industry who has made a remarkable contribution to positive change, such as the pursuit of greater sustainability, inclusiveness or innovation. The nominees are: REantwerp (Tim Van Steenbergen & Ruth Goossens), Morgane Gielen, Niki De Schryver (COSH!), Flora Miranda and Jordy Arthur.
• Emerging Talent of the Year: ​ The winner of this category is a Belgian fashion designer or company, with a strong concept or great creativity, active in the professional area with one’s own collection for a maximum of 3 years. The nominees are: Julie Kegels, Fragille (Gille Peeters), Eunji Oh, Romain Bichot and Marie Adam-Leenaerdt.
• Accessory Designer of the year: This title is awarded to a Belgian fashion designer or a designer working for a Belgian fashion house, whose work in the field of accessories, on his or her own behalf or for a fashion house has impressed the jury over the past 12 months. The nominees are: Marie Artamonoff, Sofie Nieuwborg, Moutton colleT, Stephanie D’heygere and Mats Rombaut.
• Most Promising Graduate of the Year: This award is given to an alumnus of a Belgian fashion school who graduated in June of the previous academic year. The nominees are: Pommie Dierick (Royal Academy of Antwerp), Célestin Verheyden (La Cambre Mode[s], Brussel), Julien Houdremont (HEFF, Brussel), Jessica Francesca Van Winckel (KASK, Gent), Nanook Cools (SASK, Sint-Niklaas), Leo Jennes (HELMo Mode, Luik) and Tatiana Bifouri (Chateau Massart Mode / IFAPME, Luik).
• The Jury Prize: This prize rewards a Belgian fashion designer or a designer working for a Belgian fashion house. This prize honours the career path of a fashion designer whose work in one’s own name or for a fashion house convinced the jury.

The eighth and final category, Fashion Brand of the Year, is up to the public. The public will have the chance to cast their votes and determine the final winner in this category as from October. Voting is possible on the Belgian Fashion Awards website as of October 8th: www.belgianfashionawards.be

For the first time in the history of the Belgian Fashion Awards, the international jury has a dual president, namely Li Edelkoort (Trend Forecaster) and Philip Fimmano (Trend Analyst and Consultant). The jury members are Marie-Hélène Vanderborght (Journaliste-Editrice, C’est du Belge – RTBF), Elisa Dewyngaert (curator, MoMu Antwerpen), Eve Demoen (curator, Modemuseum Hasselt), Nicolas Lor (Curator, Fashion and Lace Museum Brussels), Elodie Ouedraogo (Fashion Director, ELLE België / Belgique), Raïssa Verhaeghe (founder & CEO, RAVER), Sarah Levy (Founder & designer, Sarah Levy), Serge Carreira (Directeur Initiative Marques Emergentes, Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode), Martina Zerneri (communications specialist and brand image manager), Lena-Sophie Röper (GM Designer & Luxury, Zalando), Daniel Rodgers (Fashion Writer, British Vogue) and Alexander Fury (Fashion Director, Another Magazine & Menswear Critic, Financial Times). They will decide who the winners will be for the seven categories.

For more details on the award, check: www.belgianfashionawards.be

Source: MAD Brussels