IN PARIS, Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck
brought his singular voice to the Spring/Summer 2026 menswear season with a
show staged at the historic Théâtre de l’Odéon. A leading figure of the
influential Antwerp Six, Van Beirendonck presented a collection that balanced
personal narrative with conceptual experimentation, melding sentiment, satire, and sculptural form under the title
The collection explored memory as both a source of
inspiration and a coping mechanism. Looking inward, Van Beirendonck drew from
his childhood, transforming fragments of his own early life into visual motifs.
Family portraits were enlarged, pixelated, and rendered into textiles, turning
personal ephemera into wearable surfaces. These prints appeared across smocks,
jackets, and suiting that referenced both historic tailoring and modern
collage.
"I gathered family photos, made them into glitchy and pixelated prints," he explained. "Pushed daisies through digital static. Special Ikat textiles carried that distortion. I called in Italian fabric artisans, perhaps the last of
their kind, getting the exhilarating patina only time can ingrain."
Family portraits were enlarged, pixelated, and rendered into textiles, turning personal ephemera into wearable surfaces
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Whimsical bowler hats and buttoned, playful disarray Photograph: Brittany Scott. |
The silhouette played a central role in the collection. Voluminous
outerwear with pronounced cuffs and oversized pockets dominated the runway,
while asymmetrical constructions and buttoned-in layers evoked a sense of
playful disarray. This distortion of traditional forms suggested a rejection of
linear fashion logic in favor of something more chaotic ~ and more human.
"The bedrock of my new collection can be found in artists’
workwear and historical dress but wrapped in pure future-forward imagination," the designer said. "I looked into painting coats and smocks, Stained and coloured by the radical act of self-expression.
"I was fascinated by skeleton suits worn by well-off
18th-century boys. I briefly slipped into the dazzling mind of Anna Piaggi, as
I knew her. A true master of clash. I then toured a world where high befriends low and banal
becomes bespoke."
Accessories added a theatrical flair, particularly the
whimsical bowler hats by milliner Stephen Jones. These headpieces, occasionally
topped with artificial blooms or other surreal elements, acted as punctuation
marks in a show that refused to settle into predictability. Colour, too, was
exuberant: washed pastels and saturated primary tones blended in an eclectic
palette that leaned toward exuberance rather than restraint.
"I want to stay the starry-eyed, wide-eyed boy I always was. Believe in the best of humans. Full of hope for the world. But it’s becoming harder and harder"
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"I piece together garments like a Jean Arp puzzle." Topped by a bowler by Stephen Jones. Photograph: Brittany Scott |
"My skill with precise construction and deconstruction played a
big role. I pieced together garments like a Jean Arp puzzle. I pierced bowler hats by Stephen Jones with poetic paper flowers. And atop it all, pins and amulets," he said.
Though light-hearted in presentation, the show’s subtext was
serious. Van Beirendonck’s garments expressed concern with the state of the
world, questioning how one might hold onto hope amidst growing disillusionment.
The designer’s solution, articulated through fashion, was to return to the
wonder of youth, to look up rather than down, to feel rather than filter everything out.
"I want to stay the starry-eyed, wide-eyed boy I always was. Believe in the best of humans. Full of hope for the world. But it’s becoming harder and harder," he commented.
In Wink With Starry Eyes, Van Beirendonck crafted more than
a collection. He staged a response to cultural fatigue, proposing that
optimism, though naive, might be a radical act. Fashion, in his hands, is a
vehicle not only for personal reflection but also for collective
redirection: toward joy, connection, and curiosity.
Scroll to see more highlights from the Spring/Summer 2026 collection plus backstage moments.
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Brittany Scott |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Brittany Scott |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Brittany Scott |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Brittany Scott
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Walter Van Beirendonck, Wink with Starry Eyes, Spring/Summer 2026, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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