Retail Therapy, Flemish Style by Matt Morley

Back in the early 1980s, Antwerp’s fashion and fine arts schools produced a number of outstanding graduates that would go on to become known as the ‘Antwerp Six’. They were made up of Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee and Dries Van Noten; the last of these has his flagship store located conveniently located just in front for the fashion museum (MoMu) and is the ideal place to begin your tour.

Having taken in the Belle Epoque beauty of Van Noten’s store, and explored the many hidden corners upstairs in the men’s department in particular, be sure to pop across the road for something completely different: Veronique Branquinho’s store, a fiercely modern space designed by local team B-Architecten.

From there it is but a short walk to Hopland Street and Shuttershofstraat, where you will find the Emporio and Giorgio Armani stores, as well as many other mainstream luxury brands. Nestled in amongst them however are more location-specific shops that are worthy of a mention, included among them the wonderfully modernist Natan, Kaat Tilley and Nicole Cadine.

Coccodrillo is the city’s most exclusive shoe emporium, largely due to the number of world-renowned Belgian designers on display such as Martin Margiela and Raf Simons themselves. Gucci, YSL, Prada and Lanvin are also available here.

On the same street, do not miss the Zadig & Voltaire store (one of Paris’ better boutiques), IKKS for smart/casual mens and ladies wear, and finally Hermes... because you can never have enough Hermes.

For what is possibly the city’s most avant-garde yet luxurious shopping experience, head to Verso on Langhe Gastuisstraat. Not only does it boast truly epic proportions and a grandiose architectural frame, it also has an excellent selection of cutting-edge fashion from a huge range of designers (both local and international) plus an in-store café for that essential pit stop.

For Anglophiles desperately in need of some British fashion, the best bet is Closing Date on Korte Gasthuisstraat. Established in the mid- 1980’s, this shop sells many of the biggest names from the UK such as Katherine Hamnett, Vivienne Westwood, Andrew McKenzie and others.

At some point during the weekend no doubt, you’ll need a change from clothes shopping and Antwerp is happy to provide a number of art and furniture stores to help take your mind off those Dries Van Noten jeans that weren’t quite long enough. The Het Zuid area, literally the ‘South district’, is where you’ll find countless lively cafes, contemporary art galleries and furniture showrooms.

The Micheline Szwajcer or Tim Van Laere galleries on Verlastraat are as good a place to start as any before moving on to the Cappellini, Boffi and Kaaidesign furniture stores.

With its quaint side streets, compact size and wide range of designers to cater for all styles and tastes, Antwerp offers a distinctive retail experience that will pleasantly surprise even the most jaded of shopaholics. You may well have seen all that London, New York or Moscow have by way of boutiques, but Antwerp does things differently.

My advice? Skip the international brands while you’re here and go straight for the local talent; it’ll help you stand out from the crowd, last a lifetime and may even be the next big thing...