Walter Van Beirendonck
Former Head of Fashion, Royal Academy of Fine Arts
The surreal, imaginative designer was part of the ‘Antwerp Six’ and led fashion education at his alma mater, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.
A member of the influential "Antwerp Six," former head of fashion of their alma mater the Royal Academy Antwerp and his eponymous label, designer Walter Van Beirendonck has long been a driving force for change in the fashion industry. He continues to show collections that are graphically strong, conceptually challenging and technically innovative.
As part of the Antwerp Six, Van Beirendonck established the city of Antwerp and its academy as fashion centres in the 1980s. Alongside Martin Margiela, Dries Van Noten , Ann Demeulemeester , Marina Yee, Dirk Bikkembergs and Dirk Van Saene, the designer made a name for himself and the fellow designers for their unusual garments after graduating from the Royal Arts Academy in Antwerp. Establishing his eponymous brand in 1983, the designer became a tour fashion advisor for U2 and Erasure. In his over 35 year tenure, the designer became known for his daring, out-of-the-box collections, with notable stunts such as his Spring/Summer 1989 line accompanied with a comic.
Of the emerging Antwerp Six, Van Beirendonck told Dazed Digital: “It was a very dynamic moment and I think that there was a lot of ambition to really make it. To get out of Antwerp and to get out of Belgium. We went through a very long process, school for four years and then four or five years of making collections in Belgium, so we were preparing ourselves for almost ten years. I think then we had the opportunity to create a very distinctive, recognisable signature. Everybody had the time to evolve in their own personal way.”
Van Beirendonck has nurtured many top talents in today's fashion establishment, including Raf Simons and Kris van Assche, as the head of the fashion department since 2007.
In 2018, a student suicide at the Antwerp Academy called into question teaching methods at the school, with many current and former students coming forward with accounts of depression and drug abuse. In a detailed statement responding to the allegations, Johan Pas, head of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, said: “As you know, the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp is highly esteemed and is counted among the most highly ranked institutes of its kind.”
In June 2022, Walter van Beirendonck stepped down from Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. Fashion designer and performance artist Brandon Wen will take over from Walter van Beirendonck as the artistic coordinator of fashion training.
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In Rare Reunion, ‘Antwerp Six’ Answer Students’ Questions
Five members of the legendary Antwerp Six — Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee — discuss the pressures of being a designer, how the industry has changed and staying true to yourself, courtesy of Belgian magazine Knack Weekend.
In Rare Reunion, ‘Antwerp Six’ Answer Students’ Questions
Five members of the legendary Antwerp Six — Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee — discuss the pressures of being a designer, how the industry has changed and staying true to yourself, courtesy of Belgian magazine Knack Weekend.
Op-Ed | To Democratise Camp Is to Kill It
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s large-scale, Gucci-backed show on Camp may be pushing the inherently subcultural sensibility closer to extinction, argues Eugene Rabkin.
Op-Ed | To Democratise Camp Is to Kill It
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s large-scale, Gucci-backed show on Camp may be pushing the inherently subcultural sensibility closer to extinction, argues Eugene Rabkin.
An Antwerp Six Designer Re-Emerges in Tokyo
Marina Yee, perhaps the most mysterious member of the famed collective, will host an exhibition at Laila Tokio in Japan.
An Antwerp Six Designer Re-Emerges in Tokyo
Marina Yee, perhaps the most mysterious member of the famed collective, will host an exhibition at Laila Tokio in Japan.
A New Urban Spirit at Jil Sander
Luke and Lucie Meiers have managed to translate the house's founding principle of purism into shapes that are as essential as they are metropolitan — and all the better for it.
A New Urban Spirit at Jil Sander
Luke and Lucie Meiers have managed to translate the house's founding principle of purism into shapes that are as essential as they are metropolitan — and all the better for it.
Fast Fashion's Biggest Threat Is Faster Fashion
Five years after the collapse of Rana Plaza, fast fashion's biggest players are facing challenges — but not from conscious consumers.
Fast Fashion's Biggest Threat Is Faster Fashion
Five years after the collapse of Rana Plaza, fast fashion's biggest players are facing challenges — but not from conscious consumers.
Antwerp Academy Student Suicide Calls Teaching Methods into Question
The fashion programme at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, led by Walter Van Beirendonck, is one of the most prestigious in the world. But after a recent suicide, current and former students have come forward with accounts of depression and drug abuse, calling teaching methods into question.
Antwerp Academy Student Suicide Calls Teaching Methods into Question
The fashion programme at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, led by Walter Van Beirendonck, is one of the most prestigious in the world. But after a recent suicide, current and former students have come forward with accounts of depression and drug abuse, calling teaching methods into question.
Ironic Subtext in Play at Fendi
Stern and architectural, the collection resolutely shelved the house’s flirtation with eccentric futurism in favour of the stolidly bourgeois.
Ironic Subtext in Play at Fendi
Stern and architectural, the collection resolutely shelved the house’s flirtation with eccentric futurism in favour of the stolidly bourgeois.
A Meditation on Extremes at Walter van Beirendonck
This season, the designer embraced the world as it is with an acknowledgment and embrace of the dark side that gives his clothes their unique spine.
A Meditation on Extremes at Walter van Beirendonck
This season, the designer embraced the world as it is with an acknowledgment and embrace of the dark side that gives his clothes their unique spine.
The Fall and Rise of Adwoa Aboah
The model-activist opens up about her precipitous fall and rise: from a dark period of drugs and depression to founding Gurls Talk, a community dedicated to helping girls like herself tackle issues like mental health, body image and sexuality.
The Fall and Rise of Adwoa Aboah
The model-activist opens up about her precipitous fall and rise: from a dark period of drugs and depression to founding Gurls Talk, a community dedicated to helping girls like herself tackle issues like mental health, body image and sexuality.
Demon Chasing at Walter van Beirendonck
There simply isn’t another soul in fashion with Van Beirendonck’s ability to blend the joyous and the ominous.
Demon Chasing at Walter van Beirendonck
There simply isn’t another soul in fashion with Van Beirendonck’s ability to blend the joyous and the ominous.
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