PFW AW25 - Walter Van Beirendonck’s Alien World

Walter Van Beirendonck took over Paris Fashion Week with a surreal menswear collection wherein whimsy blended with wacky. One of the active designers left of the legendary Antwerp Six, the icon showed off his mastery over colours and cuts. There were suits and hats mixed with graphic pants and finger extensions.

For this season, Walter spoke about how the spotlight on vintage clothing was a positive step ahead for sustainability but it leaves a space for new techniques, silhouettes and applications. The emphasis remains that whilst we take steps forward towards being more climate friendly as an industry, we must also aim to invent and innovate with designs and storytelling.

That is precisely what Mr Van Beirendonck set out to accomplish with this extraterrestrial endeavour. There were cutout suits paired with shorts, fluorescent graphic shirts and shoes with blocks protruding out of them to resemble feet of aliens. A model strutted in a full alien bodysuit which looked much like Spider-Man and Venom. 

The references to the seventies were visible in the checkered coats with boho collars and patterns. There was an ode to Edward Scissorhands through the deconstructed garments and finger extensions, mystical and mysterious. Scarves were reimagined as sculptures to add to the otherworldliness of the entire collection. 

It was a symphony of colours, prints and tailoring that presented a story of worlds beyond. An eccentric world was created in Paris, brimming with stories brought to life by a master creator. Walter Van Beirendonck once again showed why him and his five contemporaries are lauded as some of the greatest minds this industry has ever seen.