Walter Van Beirendonck on Antwerp Fashion Festival, Sketches, and Waffles
Walter Van Beirendonck, a member of the Antwerp Six, presented a major retrospective titled '40 Years of Dreaming the World Awake' during the inaugural Antwerp Fashion Festival. The exhibition at Gallery Sofie van de Velde features never-before-seen sketches that reveal his design process. In an interview, Van Beirendonck discussed the evolution of Antwerp as a fashion city, criticized the dominance of money in luxury fashion, and emphasized creativity over budget. He praised the festival for revitalizing the city's fashion soul and recommended a waffle spot on Nationalestraat. The festival spanned three days with runway shows, exhibitions, and events across the city.
Key facts
- First edition of Antwerp Fashion Festival took place over three days.
- Walter Van Beirendonck presented '40 Years of Dreaming the World Awake' retrospective.
- Exhibition at Gallery Sofie van de Velde includes previously unseen sketches.
- Van Beirendonck is part of the Antwerp Six, alongside Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, and Dirk Van Saene.
- He graduated from the Royal Academy of Antwerp in 1980.
- Van Beirendonck criticized the 'vulgar' spending of big fashion houses, citing a Gucci show on Times Square costing $10 million.
- He praised the installation by Christophe Coppens at the festival.
- He recommended waffles at Van Hecke on Nationalestraat.
Entities
Artists
- Walter Van Beirendonck
- Ann Demeulemeester
- Dries Van Noten
- Dirk Bikkembergs
- Marina Yee
- Dirk Van Saene
- Christophe Coppens
Institutions
- Royal Academy of Antwerp
- Gallery Sofie van de Velde
- Antwerp Fashion Festival
- Antwerp Six
Locations
- Antwerp
- Belgium
- Nationalestraat
- Léon Stynenstraat
- Times Square