Starry Eyes and Clash : WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK SS26
At IRK Magazine, we’re drawn to designers who treat fashion as a manifesto. In other words, they use clothing to speak their truth. Walter Van Beirendonck, one of the legendary Antwerp Six, has been doing exactly that since the 1980s. In fact, he turns the runway into a stage for radical ideas, bright colors, and surreal pop fantasy.
Moreover, his world is a celebration of freedom. It’s full of queer joy, bold politics, and cartoon-like drama. Think explosive prints, vivid shades, sculptural shapes, and slogans worn like armor. Not only that, but Van Beirendonck’s designs don’t just dress the body—they challenge it. He questions gender norms, beauty ideals, and cultural taboos. Therefore, every look feels like a bold statement.
However, in a time when fashion often plays it safe, he continues to break the mold. He does so with punk energy, raw humor, and fearless creativity. Even so, his work remains deeply human and full of feeling.
As a result, his collections blur the lines between protest, performance, and pure electric fantasy. Still, they carry a simple message: weird is wonderful, and nothing should be off-limits.
With Starry Eyes: Walter Van Beirendonck’s Journey Through Darkness and Light
“I want to stay the starry-eyed, wide-eyed boy I always was,” says the Belgian designer known for his bold vision. A boy who still believes in the goodness of people. A dreamer full of hope for the world. However, these days, holding on to that belief is becoming harder. So, what can one do when everything seems to turn dark?
He looked up—and then pulled the stars down. In fact, he glued them onto his eye sockets and set off on a time-warping, postmodern pilgrimage. The result? A fashion collection deeply rooted in history yet exploding with futuristic imagination.
The foundation of this new chapter lies in artists’ workwear and historical garments. He explored the painter’s coat, stained and colored by the radical act of self-expression. Furthermore, he drew inspiration from 18th-century boys’ skeleton suits—rigid yet romantic pieces once worn by the privileged. He also revisited the dazzling spirit of Anna Piaggi, a true icon of the clash aesthetic.
But his journey didn’t stop there. He ventured into a world where high meets low, and the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. It’s a celebration of contrasts—smocking, puckering, shocking. The silhouettes shimmer thanks to constant experimentation with texture and form.
Yes, it’s a collision. Yet one that remains undeniably chic.
Where Nostalgia Meets the Future
Details were exaggerated and transformed. Brutality was refined. While the silhouettes may be oversized, the true boldness lies in the details—massive pockets, oversized cuffs, and fabric-covered buttons. Featherweight silks were torn into dreamlike collars. Every piece was designed to hold emotion.
And everywhere: starry eyes. A symbol of connection and childlike optimism.
Walter dove into his own childhood. He collected family photographs and transformed them into glitchy, pixelated prints. Digital noise bloomed into pixelated daisies. Artisans from Italy—perhaps the last of their kind—wove special ikat textiles that distorted beauty into something new. A story of craft and nostalgia layered with the future.
Construction and deconstruction played their parts. Garments came together like surreal puzzles, recalling the shapes of Jean Arp. Bowler hats by Stephen Jones were pierced with paper flowers. And on top of everything: pins and amulets. Symbols of hope, desire, and untamed life.
So if you’re feeling lost, wondering Where Have All the Flowers Gone? — look around.
From sunlit fields and distant memories, they wink at us.
With starry eyes.
Van Beirendonck’s Bright Resistance
In the end, Walter Van Beirendonck invites us to resist cynicism with tenderness, to wear our wonder like armor, and to believe—still—in beauty, absurdity, and connection. His starry-eyed fashion isn’t just about clothes. It’s about daring to dream in the dark.
Want more ? Take a look at : We “HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE…” With Walter Van Beirendonck SS2025 Collection
Share this post
Amélie JOUISON is a fashion photographer and art director.
She likes to question the status of the image as a woman, incorporating a point of humour, burlesque and creating discomfort.
Read Next
