Ann Demeulemeester Leaves Her Namesake Label

Photo: Patrick Kovarik/AFP

Ann Demeulemeester announced on Monday that she will be leaving her eponymous label.

The Belgian designer sent a handwritten letter via email to explain her decision: "A new time is coming both for my personal life and the brand Ann Demeulemeester," she writes. "Ann Demeulemeester is an adult brand now with its own identity and legacy that is able to continue growing without me."

Demeulemeester also wrote that she will be presenting her men's and women's collection together in one show on January 27.

Demeulemeester and her romantic creations will leave a void in the industry. Considered one of the most influential avant-garde fashion designers, she was often referred to as one of the great "Antwerp Six," a group of noteworthy designers (Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Marina Yee) who all graduated from Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

Her replacement has not yet been announced.

Read her letter below, via Style.com: