'For the past 10 years, fashion was about artificiality and empty glamour,' she says. 'People are now looking for soul, emotions and reality.'

Born in Kortrijk, Demeulemeester began studying fashion at the age of 16. Her grandfather was a major inspiration and encouraged her to create her own vision. 'He always said your main goal in life is to use your talent. If everyone uses their talent, it would be a good world.'

As well as a love of drawing, Demeulemeester was fascinated with the idea of communicating with people through clothing. 'I was interested in studying who was wearing what and why. I also wanted to reach a lot of women. I felt fashion was a way of communicating.'

She graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1981. During her studies she met a group that became the influential Antwerp Six: Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee and Demeulemeester. Despite their diverse styles, the group headed to London Fashion Week in 1987 and captured the attention of the international press with their inventive styles and impeccable craftsmanship. They're credited with having put Antwerp on the international fashion map. 'We were all friends from the same class, but we were also fighting and criticising each other,' Demeulemeester says. 'It was a good thing - it made us stronger.'

In 1992, she branched out on her own and held her first show in Paris. Four years later, her menswear and womenswear collections had become regular events on the Paris Fashion Week schedule.

Over the years, she has created signature pieces, including skirts and dresses with adjustable waists, white dresses with elongated cuffs, black-tailored coats contrasted with fitted crepe sheaths, deconstructed white shirts with dangling sleeves, tightly wound leather belts jackets and military boots. Her choice of fabric is often monochromatic, but she plays with textures such as polished leather and washed denim.

The main attraction for many, though, is the way the clothes move. The silhouette is often asymmetrical, featuring soft, sculptural forms. Fabric draped across the body is often fastened together with ribbons or buckles. Rather than using them as decoration, she refers to them as tools to transform the silhouette.

'I don't like dead fabrics, so I try to give soul to garments,' Demeulemeester says. 'I studied for a long time - especially how to cut movements into garments. I like to cut a certain freedom and attitude into clothes. It's a struggle with gravity. Ribbons, like fabric, give structure. They help me sculpt more.'

Rather than referencing the past or other influential designers, she says her main inspiration is energy - something she has felt since she was a teenager. 'When I was 17, the punk movement emerged in London. I loved the music, but what interested most was the energy vibrating from it.'

She is also fascinated with the contrast and interaction between masculinity and femininity. 'Everyone has masculine and feminine qualities. It's the attraction and the contrast between them that's special. Contrast is the essence of human beings. If somebody goes in one direction, it's boring to me.'

Demeulemeester also plays with contrasts through fabrics and colours. Black has always been her signature colour, although she has started experimenting more with colours and patterns. 'Black is the colour of the poet - it's the strongest colour and the essence of things. But I also like white because it's spiritual. If you're doing architectural works on garments, I don't want to be disturbed by colours. Colour is more about decoration. Black and white is more about architecture.'

With such an intellectual approach to design, it's not surprising that Demeulemeester says she hates high-profile advertisements and promotion. She never places ads or gets celebrities to endorse her designs, preferring them to speak for themselves. 'Even without publicity, my work is precious and people have a real interest in paying for it. I would like to have an honest price for my design.'

Although her collections are showcased twice a year in Paris, she has no plans to move her operations to the fashion capital, preferring Antwerp, where she lives and works on an island with her husband Patrick Robyn in a house designed by Le Corbusier.

And although her designs are important to her, she says her family comes first. 'My son is now 20 and he's in art school. Creative souls all live together. We are three individuals who make up the energy. The exchange between artists is very inspiring.'

Demeulemeester is non-committal when asked about her plans, although she says she is looking ahead. 'I hate to make predictions. The future is open ... plans are too limiting.'