Archive: Ronald Stoops on documenting Antwerp's greatest
Originally published August 2015.
By Jorinde Croese
Ronald Stoops sits in the sunny backyard of his Antwerp house, talking in short, to-the-point phrases about his long career in photography, in which he has shot the work of all Antwerp Six designers, except Ann Demeulemeester. In tune with the sound of our conversation is a stream of water and fishes swimming in a pond next to us. Every once in a while, one of Ronald’s many cats appears, like a shadow on the plastic roof above us, and Inge Grognard — his partner in both work and life — pops in every once in a while, tending the garden or answering emails indoors. A bottle of sparkling water stands between us and is left empty after one-and-a-half hour of conversation, which is much needed due to its quick-fire nature. It’s not necessarily an intentionally chosen mode of interviewing, but Ronald doesn’t seem particularly keen on exhaustively dwelling on fashion or photography-related topics. So, when mentioning the brevity of his answers and asking if there are other topics that he prefers talking about, he mentions that he is much more interested in talking about ‘real feelings’: how you feel, what you feel, how you walk in the street, what your hopes are, what you want to do in life — and a cheeky one: do you have a lover, somebody who you love?
While we end up talking, confidentially — not to be elaborately disclosed, about famous Belgian designers owning castles in the countyside (and spending Christmases there), holidaying in Bali, Iceland and Japan, buying Nick Cave records and Tinder love stories, our conversation initially started with that aforementioned quick-fire interview, and a first glass of water.
I’m interested in how your career started.
I started as a model for Walter [van Beirendonck]. After that, several fashion designers in Antwerp were starting out with their businesses and they needed photographers.
Was it easier in that time to start with photography, as there was little competition?
No, it was not that easy. It was in the time of film, so you needed to have more knowledge about techniques. Now everybody can make pictures very easily.
Do you shoot digitally now?
Of course.
How was it at the time, shooting analogue?
You had to go to school first and get a diploma. It was a ‘protected’ profession. You had to get your VAT registered to work as a photographer, and stuff like that.
At the time that you started, was the ‘Antwerp Six’ already formed?
No, Walter was still at school, Martin [Margiela] was still at school… Then Inge Grognard came to Antwerp and started working together with Martin…
And then, of course, there came the time that they all took a van and travelled around Europe.
I was there with them. We went to London and Paris, that’s how it started. They didn’t have shows at first, but selling points with press and clients coming, so they started with showrooms. Actually, for me, everything really started with Martin and his first show, which I photographed.