since october 17th 2009, ra has amassed a rich calendar of happenings in antwerp & beyond
stretching our artistic horizons through many emerging mediums.
joining forces with many interesting people & parties
we have achieved many exciting effects & results.
as a platform for events ra is continually pulsing with energy, whether it’s the daily life of the boutique & kitchen or the
special events hosted in the gallery space. day & night we are inventing & formulating new ways to use our space;
hosting art openings, collection previews, afternoon teas, stage performances & other engaging, interactive
happenings. ra has become a meeting place for young & old, a spot where people come to talk, eat, read, work, shop
& discover.
in our journey with new talent, ra has supported several designers whose collections now hang amongst the other
remarkable names in the ra boutique & in other prestigious stores worldwide. these include womenswear designer
lena lumelsky (recent winner of the MNG prize) and knitwear designer daniel andresen, who has had much success
with his collection in both ra paris exhibitions. also of note is elise gettliffe, who has continued her own label & is now
working alongside david szeto in brussels. more recently, we have introduced narelle dore & jan jan van essche’s
ranges to the store for fw10 – as the sole stockist of these local talents worldwide. we also look forward to introducing
the collection of argentinian designer paula selby avellaneda soon – one of the academy graduates for 2010 who is
carrying out exciting fabric research & bespoke creations in london.
broadening our horizons, ra has reached out to other organisations to connect people, resources & ideas. some of
our most exciting collaborations have been with the momu (fashion museum), as a satellite venue for their
exhibitions, a party destination & to create projects like the black theatre together. we have also joined forces with
antwerp vintage institution ‘labels inc.’, joining our growing vintage section with their established venue, to use ra as
an exhibition space for their most special pieces. ra has also set up our first emerging talent award with the ITS
foundation in trieste, italy. earlier this year we presented our inaugural award to the antwerp academy 3rd year
student niels peeraer – the first in a line of winners who will showcase their fashion collection in a special event at ra.
keep reading to find out more the first year of ra.
all our thanks to everyone who has been a part of it.