Interview: Walter Van Beirendonck Invites Everyone to Step into his Head at his Retrospect Exhibition 9/13

Photo : Jean-Baptiste Mondino

We got a hold of Walter Van Beirendonck right at a monumental time in his life. Fans and fashionistas have bowed down to Walter’s genius, corky and colorful collections for decades. On September 13, 2011 the Antwerp Fashion Museum will be displaying a large retrospect exhibition of Walter’s work from 1980 – 2012 called DREAM THE WORLD AWAKE. The tickets for the retrospective  better be honored for  a week, because that is how long it will take to honor, respect and swallow the fine details of the clothing and the brilliant visual scrap-book of Walter’s life. Walter confesses that it was emotional while pulling pieces from his archives and seeing his life’s work all in one big space. That must have been massive treasure chest of joy and memories.

Walter, whom I consider friend and ‘bear’ role model played well with all of our questions but stayed a gentlemen when describing what types of kink tickles his fancy. Walter Van Beirendonck is the ultimate Accidental Bear and has a glorious beard and dynamic spirit that deserves its own love song.

by Mike Enders

Q & A with fashion bear Walter Van Beirendonck:

Accidental Bear: How was your summer? With the fashion world aside for a second, where could I find you on a fun day off?

Walter Van Beirendonck? In Antwerp, Belgium. Summer was really busy, working mainly on preparing my retrospective which will open soon, 13th of September,  in the fashion museum, MOMU-DREAM THE WORLD AWAKE. 

Fun days are days when I can visit other cities, go to the museum and galleries, browse around in bookshops, eat ice-cream with friends!

A B:  Sherbet or ice cream?

Walter: ICE-CREAM!!! With strawberries

WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK / SS2012 - GQ.COM

A B: Your clothing stirs up all sorts of reactions from people, usually joy from the amazing playfulness of colors. How would you react to any negative comments to your design? Have you actually received any negative feedback?

France fashion Week: Men’s Spring-Summer 2012: Walter Van Beirendonck and Some Others

Men’s Spring-Summer 2012 collection, part of the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, Friday, June 24, 2011. Designers include Japanese designer Junaya Watanabe, Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck, Brazilian designer Gustavo Lins, Belgian designer Kris Van Assche and Italian designer Stefano Pilati.

A model wears a creation by Belgian fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck as part of his Spring/Summer 2012 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, June 24, 2011. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Nothing screams pride and confidence more than Walter Van Beirendonck‘s confidence in the use of bold colors and fabrics. This collection has a jovial bounce to it. It makes me feel like a virgin all over again, “touched for the very first time”. If I were ever stricken with a wicked case of Narcolepsy, I would hope to awaken dressed in Walter’s garments, a mixture of The Muppets meet in Candyland  and  take a trip to Japan. Just go with me on this one.

We have our eyes on all things Walter!

  

  

http://www.waltervanbeirendonck.com/

Star on the Rise Andrea Cammarosano; Artist, Desinger and Breath of Fresh Air- Q & A

Photo: Eric De Mildt

Artist, designer and man on the town, Andrea Cammarosano, has a lot of tricks up his sleeves. He has changed the way I see inanimate object. I see a large piece of plastic in the closet and my mind is triggered into, “How can I sculpt that into an outfit?” Andrea doesn’t just think outside of the box, but lives out side of the box. This is what gives his work its unique flare that will leave you in a puddle of amazement. I worked with Andrea and Walter Van Beirendonck last year and it is clear that he is Walter’s wing man and they will be teaming up in Paris next menswear season. I think some ones should make a cartoon strip of these two where the sky is the limit. Andrea will be residing in San Francisco over the summer. Be warned, if you bump into this talented fur ball this summer, let’s say at The Lone Star bar in south of Market, you will get a contact buzz of pure joy and a refreshing youthful love of life called Andrea Cammarosano. Cue, Cyndi Lauper’s ” Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

www.andreacammarosano.com

Fashion and Objects by Walter Van Beirendonck and Mates

I cant help but to think about the theme song to Married with children. Art breeds fashion or fashion breeds art is the question. What ever the out come the end product is FIERCE ( shaking pointing finger in your face)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

via www.e-flux.com

Viktor & Rolf, “The Chainsaw Massacre,” spring 2010.
Photo by © Peter Stigter.

Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg

Art & Fashion.
Between Skin and Clothing
5 March–7 August 2011

Hollerplatz 1
38440 Wolfsburg
Germany
www.kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de

Fashion and Objects by Walter Van Beirendonck, Louise Bourgeois, Hussein Chalayan, Christophe Coppens, Comme des Garçons, Salvador Dali, Naomi Filmer, Robert Gober, Martin Margiela, Francesco Vezzoli, Viktor and Rolf, Anna-Nicole Ziesche and many others.

The exhibition explores the relationship between art and fashion. Since the sixties art and fashion have shared the same avant-garde feeling. Fashion no longer expresses power, money and social class; instead, it starts to express art and culture. Fashion and popular visual cultures—like pop art—became the new visual aesthetics of society. Fashion and Art are conceptual in the same way . During the eighties Japanese designers as Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons started to explore the boundaries of clothing and the meaning of fashion. Viktor & Rolf and Hussein Chalayan too started to present fashion shows in the new millenium that looked like art-installations.

The exhibition, which first has been shown at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, curated by José Teunissen and Han Nefkens, will be reshaped for Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg by José Teunissen and Annelie Lütgens, curator of Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg.

Fashion show DREAM
with Walter Van Beirendonck and students of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, on 25 March 2011, 8 pm, at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (www.kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de)
Information and tickets:

info@kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de and at the box office

Related Articles

• International Fashion show DREAM at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (your-story.org)
• Art & Fashion: Between Skin and Clothing (coolhunting.com)

Pic of Day

by Ronald Stoops

Walter Van Beirendonck – INVITATION SHOW WINTER 2011-12 COLLECTION

Recently read on Walters Facebook Fan page,  Colin Langley says ,”  i would give both my testicles to see this.. ” And let me say Colin, I totally agree. Anyone want to buy me a ticket and take me on a date, I am totally FOR SALE.

 

Walter Van Beirendonck – INVITATION SHOW WINTER 2011-12 COLLECTION

waltervanbeirendonck.com

SHOW : January 21st 2011, 2pm. Espace Commines, 17, rue Commines, 75003 Paris

Walter Van Beirendonck – Official Website

Walter Van Beirendonck – Official Website.

Walter Van Beirendonck – WWD 100 YEARS

I usually ask myself, What would Walter do? And then go with it. Lots of love to Walter and his amazing expressive mind!

 

http://www.waltervanbeirendonck.com/

http://www.waltervanbeirendonck.com/HTML/PUBLICATIONS/2010/december/wwd100years.html

 

Accidental Bear

Accident or choice? First step of any good hurdles in life is to first admit to something. So, here it goes I am admitting with some reluctance that I MAY be a bear. I’ve always been aware of the bear community but through some ignorance always thought of “them” as fat, out of shape, beer drinking cheeseburger eating, poorly dressed ,skid mark wearing, hair balls!

As I approached my 30’s and let my beard grow in and filled in a bit ( Im not fat Im big boned! ) I kept getting called, ” Baby bear” , ” Cub” , ” Otter” to which I always came back with an, ” NO, I just have a beard thats all!” ( fist slams on desk) I began to notice all my friends had put on some weight and all had beards. Hmmm are we just getting old , or is this the Bear Community I so denied being part of?

I began attending events labeled at as ” Bear” events and dedicated getaways such as the famous , Lazy Bear Weekend at the Russian River. So, as I scan through my 500 or so closest and dearest Facebook profile. I had notice there was a beard explosion on my screen. Ahhh , you are what you eat… no… no I mean you are who you hang out with, right?

So, a turning point in my Bearhood was last spring , April to be exact. I was asked to walk in a runway show for for his Fall 2010 collection. So, I threw man arms in the air. Hot damn, if the characteristics of being a bear ( requirements were: at least 6′  / 200 lbs/ beard) were going to get me to walk in the international, Belgian fashion designers show, I’m a bear. Sign me up!  http://www.waltervanbeirendonck.com

So is being a ” Bear” a choice or are you born into a body with genes that will make you a bear no matter how hard you try not to be. Anyhow now I see the Bear community as a loving group of big and small hairy men and I’ve some across come skid marks, but thats life I guess. Thanks for listening!

 

Walter Van Beirendonck in San Francisco and Berkely!