German by birth but an Antwerper by practice, Dirk Schönberger studied at ESMOD Munich before graduating in 1992 and spending three years as a design assistant to fellow Cologne native Dirk Bikkembergs. He launched his own Antwerp-based line in 1998, starting with menswear before expanding to womenswear in 2002, maintaining a dual presence between Antwerp and Cologne throughout.

Heavily influenced by Japanese deconstruction — Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, Yohji Yamamoto — Schönberger built a reputation on incorporating new cutting techniques into traditional patterns.