Marina Yee

Marina Mariette Alfons Yee (17 April 1958 – 1 November 2025) was a Belgian fashion designer and a founding member of the Antwerp Six, a group of influential Belgian fashion designers.^[1][2] She left the Antwerp Six in 1988.^[3] Vogue described her as the most elusive member of the Antwerp Six.^[4] In 2018, she resurfaced in Tokyo to attend the opening of a retrospective exhibition at the avant-garde vintage shop Laila, where Yee presented five new designs under the name M.Y. Project.^[5] This marked her first public output in more than a decade and initiated a successful relaunch of her fashion career. Marina Yee received the Jury Prize at the Belgian Fashion awards in 2024 for her timeless designs and artistic versatility.^[6] This award recognized her influential career as a member of the Antwerp Six and her comeback in 2022 with a collection of gender-inclusive pieces, which established her as a pioneer in the industry.^[7]

Yee was born in Temse, Belgium, on 17 April 1958, to Liliane de Bruyne and Jean Yee. Her father became a colonial administrator in the Belgian Congo, and the family lived there for a few years before returning to Belgium. Yee's father later became director of a department store chain, and the family moved around Belgium before settling in Hasselt when Marina was 15.^[8]

Yee began her training at the Sint-Lucas Institute in Hasselt^[9] before continuing her studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where she remained until 1981.^[10] It was during this time that she met the other members of the Antwerp Six. Her career progressed rapidly: shortly after graduation, she received financial backing from partners, first Bassetti and later Hobo.^[11][12] For Hobo, she designed a collection titled Marie.^[13] Yee has indicated that this collection did not fully reflect her own design vision.

Yee had a professional and personal relationship with fellow designer Martin Margiela, whom she met in 1975 at Sint-Lucas in Genk.^[14] In 1992 she returned to Belgium, where she opened a snack bar, Indigo, in Brussels.^[15]

Yee's career has included periods of professional activity interspersed with breaks from the fashion industry. In 1999, she designed a winter collection for the Belgian brand Lena Lena, founded by former fashion journalist Miet Crabbé. Between 2000 and 2002, she designed women’s collections for Dirk Bikkembergs.^[16] In 2003, she established a studio in Brussels, producing pieces from existing garments and second-hand fabrics. In 2011, she introduced an interior fabric line for the Belgian company Aristide, comprising nine collections inspired by aspects of her personality.^[17] In 2015, she collaborated with fashion academy alumnus Louison Grajcar on a perfume line.^[18]

In 2018, Yee presented a new collection, marking her first public work since 2005.^[19][20] The M.Y. Project, comprising five designs, was showcased in Tokyo at Laila Tokyo, a high-fashion boutique.^[21] The collection focused on sustainable fashion, utilizing second-hand fabrics from vintage stores and flea markets.^[22][23][24]

In 2003, she stated her preference for creating outside mass-produced collections, emphasizing the importance of maintaining her identity as a designer. She has described her approach as a "prutskous"—a term reflecting a playful and experimental engagement with the creative process rather than commercial objectives.^[25][26][27]

Yee died from pancreatic cancer in Antwerp on 1 November 2025, at the age of 67.^[8][28][29]