Dirk Bikkembergs
Early life and designer career
Dirk Bikkembergs was born in Cologne, Germany, to a Belgian father and German mother. After high school graduation, he decided to start studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium. In 1982, Bikkembergs graduated, together with other Belgian designers Ann Demeulemeester, Dries van Noten, Dirk van Saene, Walter van Beirendonck and Marina Yee. Together they came to be known as the “Antwerp Six”, a group of influential avant-garde fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the early eighties and later established Antwerp as a notable location for fashion design in Belgium.
Dirk took an important step towards success with the shoe collection he took to the British Designer Show in London in 1986. The shoes immediately defined Dirk vision and became his signature. They were described by their creator as revolutionary and masculine, they were based on a specific kind of man that Bikkembergs had in mind. This intense, strong, solid image was established there and then. But Bikkembergs wanted to be more than a shoe designer, and so he added clothes to the wardrobe of the Dirk Bikkembergs Man. In 1987, after two seasons, the first knitwear collection was shown. In 1988 he presented his first full collection in Paris. Dirk first label manifested itself as a solid endeavour from the very start.
In 1996, the Bikkembergs label was introduced as a label meant to address a wider market. The label inherited the very essence of the first label, showing the same strength, character and performance. From the beginning, the new Bikkembergs label has been a label with a distinctive personality on its own, mixing glamour and casual cool in the right proportions.
Bikkembergs had made his message clear. He had proved he could make innovative clothes in a uniquely structured shape and had a totally clear idea about the man he wished to dress. His collections had become strong, vivid and liberal, almost elaborate, and precisely the way he wanted them to be. It was time for Dirk to move ahead, and in 1998 he set foot in Milan as well. Since then, the first label is presented during the Milan fashion week twice a year.
Dirk Bikkembergs early decided in his designer career to focus on football, considering it the universal language par excellence of the 21st century. The Belgian fashion designer is renowned for his unique capacity to confront the exclusivity of fashion with the universe of football. He was the first fashion designer ever who received permission to hold a fashion show in a football stadium.
This led to the much talked-about fashion show in the San Siro stadium in Milan in June 2001, which was a real breakthrough for the Dirk Bikkembergs Maison. In 2003, the time was right for the official arrival of the Bikkembergs Sport label. Dirk went ahead with a new type of sportswear to enforce his vision and to convey his message to the young at heart. Whilst the popularity of the Brand surpassed every expectation, Dirk felt that to fully realise the potential of his sporting muse he needed to get involved in football. During the seasons 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, he created the sleek off-duty uniforms for the players of F.C. Internazionale 1908 (Inter Milan). Dirk sought to immerse himself more and more in the reality of the football life, and realised that the answer lay literally next door to the manufacturing site: the home ground of the local football team F.C. Fossombrone. The ball got really rolling when the Brand bought the F.C. Fossombrone team and re-launched it in the Italian amateur championship in 2005. Dirk started using the team as his laboratory for styling and fabric technology. From exclusive jackets to high-performance underwear, all his designs are now tested and promoted by football players. The Dirk Bikkembergs Group sponsorship of the team, now re-christened F.C. Bikkembergs Fossombrone, involved not only investment to bring in fresh talent, but also a revamp of their entire image. The Bikkembergs Sport football team gear saw the light, with everything pointing to a new type of apparel which would integrate Dirk’s unique approach to fashion into high-performance apparel.
To the present day, the Dirk Bikkembergs Group has marketed three different labels:
- Dirk Bikkembergs Sport Couture: exclusive fashion for sportsmen, including apparel and shoes
- Bikkembergs: casual designer fashion (based on three components: casuals, jeans and formal), including the following lines: Bikkembergs Footwear, Bikkembergs Eyewear, Bikkembergs Underwear, Bikkembergs Accessories and Bikkembergs Kids
- Bikkembergs Sport: sporty designer fashion
Milestones
1982 Graduated from the oyal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp Belgium
1985 Winner of the olden Spindle award for est Young Designer in Fashion
1986 First collection Dirk Bikkembergs Shoes
1988 First collection Dirk Bikkembergs Men
1993 First collection Dirk Bikkembergs Women
1995 Opening of the Dirk Bikkembergs showroom in Paris
1996 Presentation of Bikkembergs Men
1998 Opening of the Dirk Bikkembergs showroom in Milan
2000 Presentation of Bikkembergs Shoes under a licence with Zeis Excelsa Spa
2000 Presentation of Bikkembergs Jeans Collection for Men and Women
2000 Winner of the Moet & Chandon sprit du Siecle
2003/2004 2004/2005 Official designer to F.C. Internazionale 1908 (Milan)
2004 Winner of la Kore Oscar della Moda as best foreign fashion designer
2005 Guest of honour at Barcelona fashion week with show in the Camp Nou stadium
2005 Acquisition of the F.C. Bikkembergs Fossombrone football team and birth of the Bikkembergs Sport football team wear
2005 Licensing agreement with Allison Spa for Bikkembergs Eyewear
2006 Launch of the first professional football boot designed by a fashion designer
2007 Winner of 2 awards for best E-commerce website
2007 Launch of first Bikkembergs Underwear collection at Pitti Uomo June 20th 2007
2007 Winner of Men Health Award for Best Leisure Brand (Bikkembergs) and Businessman of the Year 2007
2008 Launch of the Tirosegno, the advanced professional football boot with fashion upbringing, at Pitti Uomo June 18th 2008
2008 Opening of the Dirk Bikkembergs Iberia showroom in Barcelona
2009 Opening of the Dirk Bikkembergs Flagship Store in Milan
See also
Antwerp Six
List of fashion designers
External links
Bikkembergs official site
Bikkembergs football boots
Categories: 1959 births | Living people | People from Cologne | Belgian fashion designers | High fashion brandsHidden categories: NPOV disputes from January 2009
About the Author
I am an expert from China Crafts Suppliers, usually analyzes all kind of industries situation, such as peanuts merchandise , vertical sausage stuffer.
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