Coordinator and museum guide at MoMu Antwerp

In September, the renowned Antwerp Fashion Museum reopened with a festival program and exhibitions. Museum guide and coordinator Katleen Derijcke took the time to talk about her 20-year career at MoMu at the opening.

How did you come to work as a leader at MoMu?

I am originally from West Flanders and actually studied to be a teacher – French, history and English. I taught for a couple of years, but it wasn’t for me. Eventually I started working for the future academy Living Tomorrow in Vilvoorde. Twenty years ago I moved to Antwerp because I knew some people in the city back then and I joined the Friends of MoMu. That’s why I was invited to the opening of the museum. There, Linda Loppa, the director of the MoMu at the time, spoke to me. We had never spoken to each other before, the reason was purely optical. It clicked and she asked me [durch]
to run the MoMu. Then it happened very quickly: She didn’t really like giving tours for VIPs herself, so I showed her around with Linda next to me. I learned so much. I remember once Yohji Yamamoto was early for an appointment at the museum. Linda was still teaching at the fashion academy and thought I should take care of him. I’m used to a lot now, but I was shocked. I had a really good relationship with Loppa, she was my mentor. I learned a lot from her, thanks to her I am where I am today.

What exactly does your position entail?

In coordination with my colleagues from Public Relations, I lead the team that gives tours. I maintain close contact with the fashion designers. You decide how the exhibition should be run. Then I translate their story into a tour for the guides. Through this collaboration you build a special bond with the designer. So I can address all of my questions or those of the guides directly. I still enjoy giving tours myself. I can not without. On September 4th, the MoMu will reopen after three years of renovation. We have trained a new team of museum guides for this purpose. We found them through a call on social media and made a selection based on age, gender and diversity. There are different types of leaders in the team, for every type of group: preschoolers, schools, cultural groups, workshops. Their profiles vary widely, from a former teacher to someone who has worked in the fashion industry for years.

Do you have a tip for those who want to give MoMu tours?

Some museum guides drop out during their training because the job is easily underestimated. That’s why I always warn newcomers that they have to rehearse everything twice a year with each new exhibition. The expo, the biographies, the silhouettes and also some art history. It takes a lot of study. Besides, it’s not a permanent job. In addition, the museum has been open for twenty years and the new guides are only now starting. Visitors have often seen all of the exhibitions. So it will be difficult for our new colleagues, but I have complete confidence in them.

Has the job changed you?

My work gave me a completely different view of fashion. When I was young, in the 80s, fashion was very over the top – think of TV shows like Dallas and Dynasty. Even then, I dressed quite strictly, including the black nylon stockings that were only worn at funerals at that time. But I was interested in fashion and bought every issue of the magazine “Mode Dit is Belgisch” at the time. After all these years I have become much more critical. I also never wear anything with a logo, I prefer to keep it subtle. I like the sober, timeless designs by Margiela, AF Vandevorst, Tim Vansteenbergen. In the last few years I have been wearing Dries Van Noten more and more.

So I also have a certain problem with fast fashion. When I show young people around, I try to explain to them that in the 1970s we only got something new at the beginning of a season. But then you come out of the museum and see the bags overflowing with cheap chains. I understand that everyone is on a budget, but do you really have to buy something new every week? Today I was wearing a coat that was twenty years old and no one noticed. I’ve really learned to shop less and more consciously. I only look for it when I need something. And when I stop wearing clothes, I sell them. I also learned to take off clothes. When I showed Yamamoto around his exhibit, he said, “You know, perfection is ugly.” I was caught out. Now I understand and totally agree with him. It’s okay to see that an item of clothing has been worn.

Are there any downsides to your work?

The hardest part for me is sometimes the lack of respect for the work of the designer. Through my job I know some designers personally and I know how passionate they are. People still don’t realize how hard they work on a collection and how much time they spend on it. Again every season, twice a year.

I have enormous respect for them. The designers also reflect what is going on in society. They react to social changes, sometimes they are even visionary. We are also showing this in our opening exhibition E / MOTION. Changing fashion (from 4 September to 23 January in MoMu, editor’s note). The 9/11 attacks were “predicted” or felt by some designers and fashion photographers. Creative minds are sensitive, they feel events are coming. They are also often socially involved. Think, for example, of the collections by Walter Van Beirendonck or the AIDS T-shirts by Martin Margiela.

Which project are you particularly proud of?

The greatest exhibition for me was “Margiela, the Hermès Years” 2017. We already had the exhibition ‘Maison Martin Margiela:’ 20 ‘in 2008, but this exhibition was really great for me. Margiela’s own designs hung next to the pieces he designed for Hermès. That was very informative. It forced the visitor to look carefully at the clothes. I also remember the exhibition on Dries Van Noten. It was so nice how he showed his inspirations. Art and fashion were brought together. I love Belgian designers, they are very down to earth, that suits me.

How do you see the future of the MoMu?

Of course it will be very different. There are now three showrooms instead of just one. Now we can finally show the archive collection as well. The top collection is also impressive, but is still unknown to the public. We are now putting them in the spotlight as part of ‘P.LACE.S – The Hidden Side of Antwerp’ (from 25.9. To 2.1. In five locations in Antwerp, editor’s note). There is also the new MoMu-Café and we finally have a shop with collaborations by former students, nice merchandising and other local, sustainable products. The offer is very affordable, there is something for everyone.

What does the MoMu mean for you?

As part of the renovation, our offices have moved to the Kaasstraat. The students of the fashion academy were able to return to ModeNatie before us. So there was a nice dynamic in the building again. On my first day of work at the renewed MoMu, I suddenly felt like a completely different person. The location, the building, the fashion students: it gives me energy and keeps me young. When I entered the showroom for the first time after the renovation, I got goose bumps. The room has become so beautiful. The scenography of the E / MOTION exhibition is very different from what we are used to. MoMu is back on the map. We are also in a prime location in the center of Antwerp. I am really proud of MoMu and I am very happy to be able to work there.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.nl. The text has been translated and edited for an international audience.