Brandon Wen. Portrait by Devin Blaskovich.
SLEEK: Before we start, congratulations on your new job!
Brandon Wen: Oh, thank you very much! It was so surreal when I got the news. I was on the train to Paris when they called me and at first I was totally shocked. My mind switched off for about 45 minutes, but my emotions didn’t [laughs]. Of course, I had dreamed of doing a job like that someday, and then it happened so suddenly and everything was within reach. It’s so incredible that the academy decided against a conservative choice. And in that sense it doesn’t matter that they chose me. The message it conveys is important and makes me proud.
S: Absolutely. I’ve always hoped for a sign like that. Where does your love of Antwerp come from?
BW: In Europe, but especially in Antwerp, I felt that there was a kind of creativity, humour and explosive feeling. All this can be found particularly intensely in the work of Belgian designers. After studying in New York, I came to Europe where I was initially just looking for a job. A friend said at the time that I should apply to schools. That was around the same time as the entrance exams were taking place in Antwerp. Antwerp was my first choice and so everything just came together at exactly the same time. Magic! I feel so blessed that I followed this path and can now continue on it.
S: You’ve made it your goal to help change the fashion industry from within. Why is this also an issue for fashion schools?
BW: Realistically, a shift in values towards individual creativity and artistry is my greatest hope. I love America, but my frustration with the fashion world here is that it’s mainly oriented towards selling, doing business, marketing and the clothing industry. What I love about Europe and the way Europeans do art and fashion is that it’s about authenticity and traditions. It’s also about using your imagination and expressiveness. That’s why I came to Europe and why I want to stay. But it’s also exactly what I want to work on. It’s about anchoring a different perspective with regard to challenges and opportunities.
S: As a teacher, you have real influence…
BW: I’m aware of that. As grand as it sounds, I really want to work on giving students the tools to be creative so they can be the inventive and artistic person they want to be. And I would like them to realise that they themselves have the means and chutzpah to create a space. It’s a different approach from trying to ‘shape’ someone. But a school like this is also a bubble, and when you leave this bubble you have to change once more and develop. As an art and fashion school, we’re dedicated to beauty and educating creative people who can then go on to find a place for themselves in the real world, both artistically and professionally. I believe that I found my own way precisely through role models and that’s why I’m also there, to be a role model who highlights the wealth of possibilities using their examples.
S: Plus you talk about imagination, a sense of wonder and the courage to put yourself on the line…
BW: When people are encouraged to be who they are and find a place for themselves, it makes the world a better and more diverse place. If your self-image allows you to bring personal issues and values into your being, you may then also consciously think about who you work with and choose the people around you. It’s within our own power to improve things and the way we cooperate little by little. I think when we start from our own authenticity and imagination, a lot of things become more genuine.
S: Where does your energy come from?
BW: I’m a very fortunate person because I’ve always been surrounded by people who have been very supportive. I get a lot of love and energy from my family. Through this experience, I can build good relationships with others. In fact, no one has ever told me to stop dreaming. If you experience something like this, you can also pass it on. You learn to trust yourself and then you stay on the road to your dreams.
S: And what role do clothes play in this?
BW: Through clothes I can present one aspect of myself. We could show a little bit more of ourselves. But right now we’re in a time where people forget how much leeway clothes give us. Many people are more interested in looking like everyone else and fitting in. There is such shyness and people prefer not to do anything that attracts attention; they’d rather not make a statement that might reveal too much about who they are. And then you talk to people who have this explosive personality and you think, oh, but it would be so nice if you could express that in your clothes and your behaviour too. I really hope that we open up and play with clothes more. It used to be about dressing an ordinary body in extraordinary clothes. Today, we tend to want an extraordinary body and put it in very ordinary clothes. I wish there was more personality and excitement! [laughs]
S: Are you taking such wishes with you into your upcoming work?
BW: Yes! Fashion is always about a piece of you, about who you are and how you live. I think that’s the beauty of fashion. Of course, you can’t wear everything in everyday life – fashion is also art. But you can apply it. It’s part of fashion education to invent, try things and then observe what designs do to you, how you suddenly perceive yourself and how they transform you. That’s so exciting.
S: So asking you about your interpretation of identity is a bit of an obvious question…
BW: I have such a strong identity and so much of what I do concerns identity. At the same time, I’ve never stopped to think about who I am or what I’m doing. Whenever I see that something really impacts me, then for me that’s also a kind of identity.
As featured in SLEEK 74 – IDENTITY. Available in print and digital here.
Originally from Los Angeles, Brandon Wen is the new creative director of the Fashion Department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. His work starts with fashion but also touches on performance art, collage, installation and drawing. It is centred around creativity, experiment and play. In the past, he has worked with Michèle Lamy and Rick Owens, Maison Lemarié for Chanel Haute Couture and the MoMu Fashion Museum in Antwerp.