The designer who had been out of the lime light for over a decade returned to the fashion scene in 2018 with a series of collections focusing on sustainability and re-used materials.

Yee rose to fame in the 1980s alongside fellow Antwerp Fashion Academy alumni Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dries Van Noten, and Dirk Van Saene. The group, dubbed the Antwerp Six, revolutionised the fashion industry and put Belgium on the map as a major fashion power.

After leaving the fashion industry in the 1990s to pursue other ventures, Yee went on to teach at prestigious art schools such as the École Supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc de Tournai and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent. She eventually re-established herself as a designer with her eponymous brand Marina Yee, as well as a Japan-exclusive collection titled M.Y. Project.

Colleagues and friends remembered the designer with heartfelt tributes on social media. "Rest in peace, dear, strong Marina", wrote fellow Antwerp Six member Walter Van Beirendonck on Sunday.

Yee passed away at the age of 67 following a battle with cancer.