She initially wanted to be an architect, but instead she studied fashion for four years at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp graduating in 1971.
She started Loppa, a retail business in 1978 where she was one of the first to sell marques such as Gianni Versace, Claude Montana, Pierre Cardin, Helmut Lang, and Comme des Garçons in Belgium.
[4] Graduates of the Academy while she was its head included Veronique Branquinho, Haider Ackermann, Kris Van Assche, and Demna Gvasalia.
[6] She held the position until 2016 when she moved to Paris but continues to work with Polimoda as the director of the university's Strategy & Vision Platform and as a consultant.
[11] She holds an honorary doctorate from University of the Arts London and was nominated by Time as one of the 25 most influential people in the fashion world.