The celebrated Belgian fashion designer Marina Yee has died of cancer at the age of 67, the Antwerp Fashion Museum (MoMu) has announced.
Yee, who died on All Saints’ Day (November 1), was a member of the Antwerp Six, a group of six avant-garde Belgian fashion designers who gained international fame in the 1980s after studying together at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
Along with Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Yee presented her work at the 1986 British Design Show in London.
The group wowed the fashion world with their quirky but wearable designs, and helped establish Antwerp as a major fashion capital.
‘Her legacy will continue to live on’
Paying tribute to Yee, MoMu director Kaat Debo said: “Marina distinguished herself by her great sense of style and her undeniable talent for drawing. Her work was radically honest, poetic, and always grounded in respect for people and materials.
"She taught us that fashion can be more than just a trend: it can be a means of reflection, attention, and connection. Her legacy will continue to live on at MoMu and far beyond."
In 2026, MoMu will hold a major exhibition on the work of the Antwerp Six.
Yee was born in Antwerp in 1958, the daughter of antique dealers. She reportedly became interested in fashion through reading her mother’s copies of 100 Idées and Marie Claire.
After her studies in Antwerp, Yee took her first steps in the fashion world working for Belgian brands such as Gruno & Chardin and Bassetti.
From 1986 to 1990, she ran her own label, ‘Marie’. She then dedicated herself to a career in teaching, first at Saint-Luc in Tournai, and then at KASK in Ghent, while remaining active as an artist. She also designed costumes for theatrical productions and explored painting, collage, interior design, and graphic design.
In 2018, she made a major comeback as a designer, with her new label, ‘MY Collection’.
Next year, MoMu will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the international breakthrough of the Antwerp Six with a major exhibition devoted to their work.
