Marina Yee is a Belgian fashion designer and a key member of the influential “Antwerp Six.” This avant-garde group of designers, which included Dries Van Noten and was closely associated with Martin Margiela, graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1980s and fundamentally changed the international fashion landscape.

Yee’s approach to fashion is often described as poetic and intellectual. From the beginning of her career, she has been known for her innovative use of second-hand materials and deconstructed forms. Her work challenges conventional ideas of beauty and luxury, focusing instead on craftsmanship, recycling, and creating garments with a soul and a history.

After graduating, Yee, along with her contemporaries, made a significant impact when they travelled to the London Designer Show in 1986. Their radical, conceptual designs stood in stark contrast to the power-dressing aesthetic of the time, earning them the collective title of the “Antwerp Six” and putting Belgian fashion on the map.

Throughout her career, Marina Yee has maintained a unique and somewhat elusive presence in the fashion industry. She has regularly prioritized her artistic vision over commercial demands, taking long breaks from the public eye to focus on her creative process. In 2003, she relaunched her brand, showcasing her continued commitment to sustainable and thoughtful fashion. Her collections typically feature repurposed leather, vintage fabrics, and hand-finished details, creating one-of-a-kind pieces that blur the line between fashion and art.

Her legacy is intertwined with that of her Antwerp peers. While working alongside figures like Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela, she helped forge a new, cerebral identity for fashion that continues to influence designers today. Marina Yee remains a symbol of artistic integrity, known for a quiet, considered, and deeply personal approach to design.