In this chapter we will be looking at the contribution that fashion and design have made culturally, socially and economically to the Netherlands and Belgium over the past half-century or so. When we think of the fashion capitals of Europe, it is probably Paris and Milan that most spring to mind. Yet, as the texts in this chapter show, designers in the Netherlands and Flanders have established an impressive reputation in the international fashion and design industry, not only as creative, imaginative inventors of new ways to clothe the body and to rethink the spaces in which we live and work, but also as instructors of the next generation of designers in the Low Countries. The fashion industry in the Netherlands is now a true force to be reckoned with: the fashion house Viktor & Rolf, established by the designer duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren who met at the Arnhem art academy, is known worldwide for its highly theatrical fashion shows and its striking, extravagant collections. The Dutch designer Addy van den Krommenacker, knighted for his services to fashion, is also an internationally acclaimed figure in the world of haute couture. His creations, which have been worn by royalty and stars of stage and screen, are designed to be elegant and to capture the essence of femininity rather than to shock. But innovation in the Dutch fashion industry not only depends on the shows and collections put on by its most famous names – non-profit organisations such as the Dutch Fashion Foundation (DFF), supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, aim not only to promote Dutch fashion per se, but also to organise cultural projects, fashion shows and presentations. Other initiatives, such as the Cultuurfonds Mode Stipendium, the highest grant awarded annually to an individual fashion designer in the Netherlands, has helped to bring Dutch fashion to media attention and demonstrate how innovative Dutch design can be. The Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion is also a key national organisation that brings together those working in art and architecture, craft and cinema, performance art and textile design, to provide both real and virtual platforms for the exchange of ideas.