Ann Demeulemeester returns to the fashion world

Last Friday, the Belgian newspaper De Tijd broke the news that Ann Demeulemeester and her husband Patrick Robyn have returned to collaborate with the brand they founded in 1985 and then sold in 2013. The occasion of the announcement is that of the restoration of the flagship store in Antwerp at the hands of Robyn, who gave Claudio Antonioli, now owner of the brand, the opportunity to announce that the founder will play the role of creative consultant for her own brand in the coming years, but will not return to direct the design team. Demeluemeester said: «I personally see it as my role to enrich the DNA in new domains and other forms». The designer should therefore take care of the artistic coordination of the brand in the broadest sense of the term, the newspaper describes her role as «a sort of oracle, a vague, reassuring presence in the background»; her husband, Patrick Robyn, will deal with the design of the boutiques while their son Victor will be an «image curator» and will manage the digital graphic design of the brand.

Ann Demeulemeester's production will soon expand, as well as in tableware and lamps, also in furniture and perfumes – all categories that will find space in the new store in Antwerp that will then serve as an imprint for the other boutiques in Milan and Paris. During the interview with De Tijd, among other things, the couple criticized the management of the brand during their absence, saying that it «stumbled to the abyss» probably referring to former owner Anne Chapelle and Sebastian Meunier, the previous creative director. «When Claudio Antonioli came forward, it was no longer a successful brand», said Robyn. Now, however, things seem to have changed and the brand will also make its return in presence at the next Paris Fashion Week.