Walter Van Beirendonck : The Art of Fashion

  Few people can pull a beard like Belgian fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck .

The 56 -year-old looks , the more like a member of ZZ Top as part of the collective known in the fashion world as the Antwerp Six , wearing his facial hair since the 90's and does not excuse it.

Moreover, the image of the tough guy a mirror image of what you'll find when you meet him.

"When I grow facial in the 90s started my hair , people would say that it is not in fashion , and you will not win any friends because of it, but I really do not care ," said the sweet designer who in Melbourne was run Walter Van Beirendonck : Dream the World Awake at RMIT design hub .

" I feel better with a beard. Like the rings on her fingers ," he said, the heavy artillery metal worn since he was 16 has . "This is who I am . I too old to change . "

The Belgian could be expected , true to his facial hair and jewelry, but his true individuality shines through his fashion style. His menswear collections are pure expression of art , realism, pop fantasy.

His approach is that you do not see in mainstream clothing .

Collections are a pastiche of kitsch and pop notes, full-color, parody , humor and always made ​​from high quality fabrics culture. Beirendonck's bold, revolutionary and , frankly, do not give a damn if you like what he does or not .

"A lot of what I do is very spontaneous ," says Van Beirendonck .

" My fashion tends to be more of a Declaration on the establishment of a commercial product . "

Van Beirendonck is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts in Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1980 and six years later with a group of friends, also artists who were London Fashion Week moved from Belgium to London by storm.

Ann Demeulemeester , Dries Van Noten , Dirk Van Saene , Marina Yee , Dirk Bikkembergs and Van Beirendonck has been dubbed the Antwerp Six, by a kind of agent in London - the term has remained ever since. It was a lot easier than trying to pronounce her name.

"When I think back to the 80s was all innocent and simple in the fashion industry ," says Van Beirendonck , who is inspired by the visual arts , literature, music and kitsch toys .

"Communication on fashion has changed dramatically with the Internet and social media. This is the way we do with fashion a completely different experience today .

 "When we arrived in London , we did not really know what to expect. There was an element of surprise. One had to physically go to a show at the Fashion Week fashion to see . I think it is normal that the things change all the time , but the mode is faster , the people of the revolution must adapt and we can not stop what is happening. "

The exhibition shows the relationship RMIT fashion designer and how it has evolved over the past 30 years. Their outfits are loud and colorful - he is a man of many words , but reserved his dialogue for conversations about their collections .

Here you will read in a world of political statement , kitsch culture , bondage and other fetishes . Mannequins scattered industrial exhibition space to tell their story , dressed in outfits from the 80s to today - this is Warhol meets Manga Van Beirendonck took his best hand.

" My fashion by the awareness of what is happening in the world, is inspired - that has always been part of my thinking ," he said.

" In the 80 years I knew people who died of AIDS and I found a way to include it in my work. Spite of the difficult and hard I often explores themes , the end result was still rather easy . I do not want to to create a sense of dissatisfaction in my own way. , I would like my fashion , fun and light to express and not to criticize . "

In 1996, when Van Beirendonck a call from Bono , he did not quite believe it was the front man of U2 at the other end. The singer was a fan and wanted to steal the designer in Dublin to discuss the making of costumes for their PopMart Tour in 1997.

"If U2 came to me , I was very surprised , because we are far apart," says Van Beirendonck .

"I 'm not a fan of U2 and I was shocked that they would even ask me to be involved . Changed But of course , that I once met Bono and The Edge . Dublin you stole me and showed me the concept of PopMart . They wanted with the artists who have explored the idea of consumption and its impact on the world of work . It was then that I realized that we had a connection . "

Van Beirendonck created extravagant costumes for the tour, including several characters , like Bono man , muscle man, Lopsided Man, Hitman and Electric Cowboy - inspired by the action of man and all the characters with a sense of adventure with a blink to Surrealism .

" Bono was on the search for a typical rock and roll did not want to go ," he said. "They wanted to criticize the world and show a very bold way .

" It was a unique collaboration I do not usually look for work with rock bands , though I borrowed some parts lately Mika - . , He is a big fan of me. "

In Paris this year, Van Beirendonck was back at the Fashion Week showing their summer 2014 spring / .

He took the color blocking and the costume to a new level - the season has been defined by the lines of lemon , pink, orange and sweet intertwined beautifully suited with charcoal and light gray fabrics for a cool look . It is one of the few designers engaged endeavored to draw his collections in Europe and not to cheap production .

" The fashion world is dominated by those who want to make money and we try to do as soon as possible," said Beirendonck .

"This kind of approach scares me , because it affects your relationship with the final product and the consumer. I think if I 'm a loner mode is called , it is because I have stopped growing with an independent mind and really about my environment , my career and keep only "mode provide .

He loves to draw, and he says he was inspired to become a fashion designer by changes eclectic nature of David Bowie.

" David Bowie has shown me that you can add a new dimension that you have to dress the way. This has inspired me to get into making clothes ," he said.

It is true Comme des Garcons Rei Kawakubo , to be a pioneering Japanese label . "It shows that you can grow to create, sell and its trade ," says Beirendonck .

" It proves fashion can be an interesting profession. Industry needs more people like that do not be afraid of what you feel stuck in. "