Julie Kegels

On The Run. Julie Kegels SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Julie Kegels opened Paris Fashion Week with a bonkers show – exactly the right way to launch the long week ahead and set the tone for day one: fun, bold, inventive.

I’ve been following Kegels’ work since her master’s collection “The Dinner Party“ at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Even then, it was clear that domesticity would be a central theme in the Belgian designer’s practice. Her spring–summer 2026 show unfolded inside a metro station in the 16th arrondissement. Models emerged as if on their way to an important meeting – or a party – moving with confidence, unconcerned about being late or expected. The presentation read like a story of transformation: a woman in constant motion, always just a step behind time.

That sense of the everyday marathon was brilliantly distilled in the collection. Kegels’ woman dresses in haste, between chores: bra straps hastily knotted, collars stretched and smudged with makeup, skirts slipping down as if about to fall, undergarments peeking through at every glance. Nightgowns edged in lace reappeared as daywear, with no drama attached. Imperfection lingered not as failure but as imprint: stains turned into prints, wrinkles into structure, seams into memory. And her constant companion? A garment-messenger bag, naturally.

Julie Kegels proves that fashion can be witty without tipping into gimmickry – and at the same time, wholly functional.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Modern Concept. Julie Kegels AW25

| Design & Culture by Ed

Julie Kegels, an Antwerp-based fashion designer, found inspiration for her third collection after stumbling upon Judith Price’s 1980 book “Executive Style: Achieving Success Through Good Taste and Design” at a Los Angeles flea market. Fascinated by its view of modern design as a tool for corporate ascent, Kegels crafted a witty, layered exploration of late 20th-century aesthetics, branding, kitsch, and male “power dressing” drag. She staged her presentation in a Parisian theater, where a model dressed live onstage in a “tech bro” look – monogrammed Fair Isle sweater, undone blue shirt, and oversized navy trousers – all laid out on a caramel leather lounge chair she designed herself with Belgian label HARMO. A clever twist closed the show: a model zipped into a trompe l’oeil jumpsuit mimicking that first outfit, emphasizing how clothing shapes identity. Between these moments, Kegels showcased slouchy blazers, polo-knit dresses, wood-grain printed skirts, and playful deconstructions like waistbands stitched onto shirts. With her bold ideas – including a sensational evening dress made from wood veneer – Kegels connects the dots of concept, craft, and curiosity in a striking way, taking over the baton from Hussein Chalayan.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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50/50. Julie Kegels AW24

| Design & Culture by Ed

I wrote about Julie Kegels back in 2021 when the Belgian designer released her masters collection titled “Supper Club“. Now, the The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp graduate is back with her first collection under her eponymous label, which she presented during Paris Fashion Week in the beginning of spring. “50/50” is a proper introduction of Kegel’s talent to the fashion world, as it reflects her aesthetic and her brand’s off-kilter style. Blending contemporary elegance with a playful flair, the ready-to-wear debut “means business up front and party in the back“, as Julie sums it up. Above-the-knee granny socks paired with a provocatively translucent back; wool skirts dancing with shortened denim rears; serious pinstripes mingling with lively floral motifs. Julie’s creative process revolves around fully embracing fashion’s transformative power to craft her unique universe. In this spirit, accessories – jewelry, bags and shoes – harmonize elements from the past and present. The designer skillfully weaves romantic, old-world lace patterns into the collection using the last thermoforming techniques, resulting in contemporary, wearable masterpieces. Enhanced by a blend of quirky preppy cuts, embossed florals, and trompe l’oeil knitwear, the collection breathes a new life into timeless designs and solidifies Kegels as a rising star in the fashion realm.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Julie Kegels’ Supper Club

| Design & Culture by Ed

“I will always be me,” Belgian fashion designer Julie Kegels told 1 Granary. Ever since primary school, she dreamt of joining the fashion department at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp – the city where she was born and raised. The stars aligned, and we’ve got an exciting, emerging fashion designer coming from the famously off-beat, “fifth” fashion capital. Her unconventional approach towards silhouettes, and ability to fuse the media of fashion and art, are distinct in her first, proper collection. The main inspiration from Kegels’s Masters Collection is “The Dinner Party“, the installation by Judy Chicago from 1979, in which the feminist artist set a gigantic, triangular table for 39 women from across history. Each place setting was dedicated to a mythical or world-famous woman that played an essential role in the history of female rights. For every woman, she designed a custom place setting inspired by the story of their life.

For her collection, Kegels focused on the twelve of these settings. You can wear each of the silhouettes, but you can lay them on a table for decoration purposes as well. The whole concept was an excellent opportunity to experiment with textiles. “I tried to push the boundaries and create fabrics with a soul like embroidery, hand knits, playful drapes and materials with structure. I vacuumed old lace with a plastic fabric as this created depth in the shape of laceflowers. By creating new fabrics, I discovered that making an old fabric look modern is what I genuinely loved doing during the process of this collection“. The designer continues: “Dressing up for a dinner party has always been a magical experience for me. My line-up is based on a picture of a woman standing in front of the mirror holding a dress. Therefore, every piece in my collection has a different front and back. With these primary elements in mind, I developed the concept.” The final effect is both futuristic and retro; familiar, yet totally unknown. The look-book, photographed by Anton Fayle and art directed by Studio M, transports you to the unique world of Kegels, where nothing is as it seems. Keep Kegels’ work on your radar – and don’t forget to check out her Instagram!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.