Vice Style

Walter Van Beirendonck Chris&Tibor bag

The lifesized crocodile bags shown pretty much wrestling with models on Walter Van Beirendonck's spring/summer 2011 show were pretty funny, a collaboration between Walter Van Bierendonck and Chirs&Tibor. A lecturer at Antwerp's Royal Academy, Walter Van Beirendonk's collections are always funny as hell and nearly always carry second summer of love, rave-type messages about peace, as well as advertising the pervy but ultimately good-natured world of bears.

Walter Van Beirendonk

Vice: Hey Walter. How are you?
Walter: I’m happy that June's show went well. It was such a tough ride with so many deadlines. I'm doing the Zulupapuwa collection of children's books, a show in Paris, and that's right after traveling to New York and San Francisco where I redid my Wonder Bear show. So I’m tired, but also satisfied.

Walter Van Beirnedonck Chris&Tibor Crocodile bag, it's also what Walter calls a 'doll friend'

I loved the Read My Skin collection and especially the crocodiles.
When I sent the prototypes of the crocodile bag and tiger bag off, I think the guys were shocked that they were that big. I really wanted to make huge bags, which look almost like a doll friend, I guess like a teddy bear, that you can take out with you.

Normally you're Mr Neon, yet there was a fair bit of cream and plaid in that show.
I love cream! After using primary and neon colours for so long, I felt like it was time to use other shades and colours. By mixing plaid and cream in a totally wild way, and from top to toe, I created a feeling of plaid on speed, which I personally liked a lot. Then came the holes in the clothes. Through the holes you can read the skin.

Model with Tiger bag and cute cat friend

The word "hope" is all over your collection. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Fear, faith, hope. These are the words that are used on the garments. For me these words reflect this exact moment in our contemporary society and world. We do have fear owed to the disasters, terror-attacks, wars, economic problems, nature-abuse. But we should have faith and hope to fight for and believe in a better future! Read My Skin stands for the idea that we need to find a way to live together peacefully. All skin-colours, all different sexes and temperaments, straight and gay, all different religions. I’m fascinated by all the young people who have extremely mixed backgrounds, resulting in fantastic new ways of thinking. That’s why the casting of the show was a complete mix of races and skins and physique, from thin to stocky.

You've spoken in the past about changing the world and how you feel fashion should use its influence more than it does.
Sorry, that's very pretentious of me to think that I could do that! I use fashion to communicate messages, statements and ideas which pop up in my head. Of course I realize that it is extremely difficult to change the world. But, if I could change one thing, I would save nature and the animals. They are so fragile, but so extremely beautiful and precious.

ERICA CROMPTON