Haider Ackermann

"You can only design what you know"
One of Antwerp's brightest young stars, Haider Ackermann has seen many more ports than the one fronting the town in which he now lives and works. Born in Santa Fe de Bogotà, Colombia, in 1917, he was adopted by a French family. Due to his father's business obligations, he spent his childhood moving around the globe. After living in Ethiopia, Chad, France, Algeria and the Netherlands, he decided fashion was his vocation. High school finished, he left home in 1994 and headed for Belgium to study at the fashion department of Antwerp's Royal Academy. During his three-year stay (he left the four-year course prematurely because of his financial difficulties), he also worked as an intern at John Galliano's Paris office. Taking a job as an assistant to his former academy teacher Wim Neels in 1998, he worked on both the men's and womenswear collections of the Belgian designer. After saving money and taking encouragement from his friends and acquaintances - among them Raf Simons - Ackermann finally took the plunge and presented his first, self-financed women's collection in Paris for autumn/winter 2002. His subtle, dignified and sensuous clothes immediately struck a chord with buyers and editors, as they did with Italian leather manufacturer Ruffo. Just two weeks after his debut show, Ackermann was hired as the head designer for Ruffo Research and commissioned to create two collections (spring/summer and autumn/winter 2003), while continuing to produce his own line. Ackermann is now receiving even wider acclaim, not least in the form of the prestigious Swiss Textiles Award at the 2004 Grand Fashion Festival. Ackermann's sensitivity with drape and textures shows through in every collection. His autumn/winter 2009 collection showed his mastery of leather and heavy metal chainmail. These are modern clothes for strong women who love the subtle colour palette that adds to Ackermann's seasonal collections.