Lady Gaga in the costume of a young designer living in Antwerp: Less coincidence than it appears

She was playing poker with a small group of friends when she received a phone call from Tom Eerebout, Lady Gaga’s lead Belgian designer. And she had good news: the singer was seen donning a coat from Leitner’s graduation collection. “We immediately prepared the Poker Face to celebrate,” the Austrian said.

Lady Gaga in the costume of a young designer living in Antwerp: it’s less of a coincidence than it looks. “The school organized a competition where a winner could design a piece for her. I won, it surprised me and I didn’t understand at the same time. I could see her walking around in that fur coat. My design style matches perfectly with her outfit. In the end, I made a shorter version of the jacket in question, in color.” Light pink. That looked perfect. ”

Kardashian

Leitner and the celebrity, it turned out to be a match. Kylie Jenner – one of the celebs from the Kardashian clan – is also a fan of her prolific designs. “Her stylist spotted me on Instagram. Among other things, Kylie wore a cotton suit, and now I’m working on it Mad customCut for her and her daughter. ” The fact that celebs who enjoy the status – Gaga has over 47 million followers on Instagram, and Kylie Jenner is no less than 226 million – are wearing her designs is a bonus. ” It goes without saying that this is commercially interesting, because it’s thanks to them A large audience knows me. ”

Maureen de Klerk, the fashion coordinator, says it is no coincidence that well-known headlines are keeping Antwerp students away. “We invite fashion designers to our show every year, so that they know the academy well. Moreover, our students not only design the pieces, but complement the look with accessories, which is always interesting for a costume designer. We also teach them to go innovative in terms of color combinations. And studies of shapes and materials, not following trends. As a result, we are still one of the leading schools around the world, although we had to replace our live show with a digital one due to Corona. It attracted more than 50,000 viewers from 45 countries, thanks in part to Support the City of Antwerp. ”

Not only are celebrities worn by the Leitner collection, she says, but also self-confident women. “You have to buy a cat suit. I think self-confidence is very important. My style is now evolving towards more wearable pieces. In the beginning you have to stand out so people get to know you. Once that is done, you can continue to evolve.” Her great example is – a little surprising – Dries Van Noten. “He was always my role model, it was great to work with him for a while. Dries is the reason I chose Antwerp Academy at the time.”

It is not yet certain if she will design more for Lady Gaga in the near future. “I got good feedback, so I sent her her shoes and accessories. Nothing has been confirmed yet, we’ll see.”