Belgian Designer Marina Yee of Antwerp Six Dies at 67

Marina Yee, a pioneering Belgian designer and member of the influential Antwerp Six, passed away at 67 after battling cancer. She was celebrated for her authentic and poetic approach to fashion, which bridged conceptual art and design with a focus on simplicity, patchwork, and deconstruction, helping to redefine Belgian fashion in the 1980s. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp alongside other notable designers, Yee launched her own brand, Marie, in 1986, before stepping away from fashion in the 1990s to explore other creative fields and teaching. She returned in 2018 with her upcycling-focused M.Y. Collection, which gained international acclaim and was relaunched in 2022 with global retail partnerships. Recognized with a jury prize at the 2024 Belgian Fashion Awards, Yee’s legacy will be honored in a 2026 exhibition dedicated to the Antwerp Six at the MoMu Antwerp Fashion Museum. Her contributions significantly impacted both local and global fashion scenes, embodying a radical honesty and respect for materials and people.