Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp

Founded in 1663, the school has offered courses in fashion since 1965. Admission is by open competition and the course of study takes five years, including four of classes plus one of stage and specialization. The director of studies is Linda Loppa, an important figure in the emerging world of Belgian fashion who is about to open her ambitious project the Flanders Fashion Institute. She demands the best from her students and can fail 90% of them. Among her well-known former students are Dirk Bikkembergs, Anne Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela. The Flanders Fashion Institute, in cooperation with the Academy of Fine Arts, starts a post-graduate course of design for the footwear industry.