{"id":105652,"date":"2023-01-18T10:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T08:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=105652"},"modified":"2023-01-11T15:52:42","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T13:52:42","slug":"walter-van-beirendonck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/","title":{"rendered":"Walter Van Beirendonck"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":105657,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[13303,16641,1123],"class_list":["post-105652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-antwerp-royal-academy-of-fine-arts","tag-journal","tag-walter-van-beirendonck"],"acf":{"legacy":false,"exclude_from_ads":[],"hero_title":"","subtitle":"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his colourful work, his time teaching at Royal Academy of Fine Arts and his fight for freedom.","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":{"ID":105657,"id":105657,"title":"4A3A6113","filename":"4A3A6113.jpg","filesize":883753,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/4a3a6113\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"4a3a6113","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:26","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:26","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113-1024x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},"width":"4","proportion":"default"},"facebook_image":false,"related_articles":[104154,104564],"next_article":"","main_category":false,"content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105659,"id":105659,"title":"_49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit","filename":"49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","filesize":596637,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/_49a9329-edit-edit-edit\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"_49a9329-edit-edit-edit","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:48","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:48","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1081,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":72,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1081,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1081,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1081,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit-1536x865.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":865,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1081,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":10,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A9329-Edit-Edit-Edit.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1081}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":"Photography by Ronald Stoops. Image Courtesy of Walter Van Beirendonck."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

When I walk in he\u2019s still sitting at the table, hunched over a piece of work and listening to Kraftwerk. When he sees me, he immediately gets up and walks towards me. I catch my breath because Walter Van Beirendonck<\/a> is one of the people I came across for the first time through my mother, in the pages of a magazine in our East Berlin kitchen in the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n

Van Beirendonck was and is something of an outlier in the fashion world. His colourful, often cartoonish collections are the result of complete creative freedom and independence. And that has enabled him, throughout his career, to maintain a position that pushes boundaries, provokes controversy and transcends any kind of superficiality.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105657,"id":105657,"title":"4A3A6113","filename":"4A3A6113.jpg","filesize":883753,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/4a3a6113\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"4a3a6113","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:26","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:26","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113-1024x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":105658,"id":105658,"title":"0U6O9621-Edit","filename":"0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","filesize":605777,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/0u6o9621-edit\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"0u6o9621-edit","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:35","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:35","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1280,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","medium-width":1280,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","medium_large-width":1280,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit-1024x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1024,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","2048x2048-width":1280,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0U6O9621-Edit.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1280,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Ronald Stoops. Image Courtesy of Walter Van Beirendonck."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

SLEEK:\u00a0 <\/span>I saw your 2023 Journal in the shop at MoMu [ModeMuseum, Antwerp] yesterday. It\u2019s exciting that you\u2019ve designed something that seems behind the times. And yet a journal or diary is something very personal because it\u2019s where we might write a note or a poem, or a momentary idea that you capture, or you draw something in it…<\/p>\n

Walter van Beirendonck:\u00a0 <\/span>[grinning<\/i>] I work in a very physical and very old-fashioned way. Just look at this table here. [The table we\u2019re sitting at is also Walter\u2019s desk. There are piles of cut-out letters, colour charts, pens, thick black notebooks, folders and cuttings lying around. On the floor, I notice a pile of collages.] Of course, I have people who can work on computers and translate everything into the digital world but I myself am very physical: I print things out, I hold everything in my hands and look at things in two dimensions. I have to touch, test, cut out and put together. It\u2019s a very real process and I like that. I adore books and love just leafing through them. It\u2019s all so much more attractive.<\/p>\n

S: And how did the idea for the Journal come about?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>Well, I was invited by a publisher to create a kind of diary-cum-journal. I said okay to this project because they accepted my condition that I\u2019d be completely unrestricted. You should know that to print the Journal, we used techniques that are not so easy to do in the normal printing process. We used screen printing because that was the only way we could use fluorescent colours as well. The whole thing is precious because it is also expensive to produce [his whole face lights up with laughter<\/i>]. I had this idea that the design for each month would feature dancing letters and numbers.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0 <\/span>Dancing, colourful letters, words, symbols, signs… I associate all of that with you and your work as a designer. You work with a whole palette of feelings and messages, so your form of communication is quite direct. Where does your love of words and typography come from?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>Wait, I\u2019ll show you my workbooks: here you can see that words and texts always appear everywhere. I make collages in which I include words and texts, and this creates new word games. I cut up, put together and use different topographies.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0 <\/span>I can totally understand that because I always start with words and concepts before I plunge into an interview with someone. I look for concepts that express how I imagine the person to be.<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s interesting. And how often does your idea match the real thing?<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105656,"id":105656,"title":"zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT","filename":"zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","filesize":726455,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/zupanov_sleek_walter_165_print\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"zupanov_sleek_walter_165_print","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:21","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:21","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1277,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","thumbnail-width":64,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","medium-width":1277,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","medium_large-width":1277,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","large-width":1277,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT-1022x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1022,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","2048x2048-width":1277,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":8,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/zupanov_SLEEK_WALTER_165_PRINT.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1277,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}},{"ID":105660,"id":105660,"title":"_49A0823-Edit","filename":"49A0823-Edit.jpg","filesize":653551,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/_49a0823-edit\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"_49a0823-edit","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:55","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:55","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1422,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","thumbnail-width":71,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","medium-width":1422,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","medium_large-width":1422,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","large-width":1422,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit-1138x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1138,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","2048x2048-width":1422,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/49A0823-Edit.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1422,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Ronald Stoops. Image Courtesy of Walter Van Beirendonck."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

S:\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t even think about it when I look back. It\u2019s more a kind of method.<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>A lot happens spontaneously in my work. It\u2019s not that I\u2019m thinking all the time or overthinking too much. While I\u2019m sketching, I decide to do this or that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

S:\u00a0 <\/span>You are a political person and you never concealed that. I assume that wasn\u2019t a decision, was it?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>Correct. The thing is, I\u2019m aware of what\u2019s going on in the world. I get involved by trying to let my views pervade my work. I\u2019m reflecting on what is happening around me. I\u2019m reacting immediately to certain issues by trying to get involved. Look at these collages. [He shows me some pages from his books<\/i>.] It\u2019s very important that I use my voice to tell people something that will make them think. A lot of people see me as a crazy person who makes colourful T-shirts and they don\u2019t think about it any deeper. For me, there\u2019s always something deeper and there\u2019s always a story behind it.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0<\/span>But it also seems to me that it\u2019s about the feeling of rebellion that drove you as a young man.<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0<\/span>Well, we [he means the Antwerp Six] were extremely frustrated and annoyed with the structures around us. We had this dream of actually conquering the world. It\u2019s normal when you\u2019re young. Basically, we were a Belgian start-up and we did a lot of fashion shows and exhibitions and worked on projects in Belgium. But then we realised that everything stayed within Belgium, and that was very frustrating because we wanted to reach an international audience. We took London by storm, trying to show something that we thought was different and that should be heard and seen. Everything else was pure ambition, very spontaneous and without a master plan. I think that people are still excited about our story and they want a story like that themselves. I\u2019m afraid that if you think too much about everything and have to make a marketing plan out of everything, then it\u2019s better not to even start. It\u2019s not easy to get going but I\u2019m inspired by the idea of just taking off and experimenting. If it doesn\u2019t work, you\u2019re probably going to fail, but at least you tried.<\/p>\n

S: Was that also something you taught the students when you were a teacher at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>I returned to the Academy as a teacher quite quickly after graduating. I was the same age as other students then, so it was a bit of a strange situation. I have an extremely strong imagination, and that has helped me a lot in teaching. Throughout the whole time I was teaching, I tried to encourage students to be guided by their art and by their own ideas. I tried to encourage them in this way and not by telling them what to do. I\u2019ve always focused on the students\u2019 perspective and started with them because that was the only way they really felt they could speak their own creative language. The most important thing is that everyone finds their own answers and opportunities. I was able to help them recognise their own style in all its diversity right from the start.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":105653,"id":105653,"title":"210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit","filename":"210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","filesize":406163,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/210123_ronald_walter_shot18_028-edit-edit\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"210123_ronald_walter_shot18_028-edit-edit","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:02:39","modified":"2022-12-12 14:02:39","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1908,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","thumbnail-width":97,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","medium-width":1920,"medium-height":1908,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","medium_large-width":1920,"medium_large-height":1908,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1908,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit-1536x1526.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1526,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1908,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":12,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/210123_RONALD_WALTER_SHOT18_028-Edit-Edit.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1920,"wpvr_mobile-height":1908}},{"ID":105654,"id":105654,"title":"449A7780-Edit-Edit-2","filename":"449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","filesize":309264,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/449a7780-edit-edit-2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"449a7780-edit-edit-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":105652,"date":"2022-12-12 14:05:07","modified":"2022-12-12 14:05:07","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1516,"height":1920,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","thumbnail-width":76,"thumbnail-height":96,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","medium-width":1516,"medium-height":1920,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","medium_large-width":1516,"medium_large-height":1920,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","large-width":1516,"large-height":1920,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2-1213x1536.jpg","1536x1536-width":1213,"1536x1536-height":1536,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","2048x2048-width":1516,"2048x2048-height":1920,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":9,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/449A7780-Edit-Edit-2.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1516,"wpvr_mobile-height":1920}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":"Photography by Ronald Stoops. Image Courtesy of Walter Van Beirendonck."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

S:\u00a0 Did you let your experiences as a student influence your opportunities as a teacher?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>Oh, that\u2019s a hard question. Of course, you\u2019re never free of your experiences and there is a big difference between teaching and studying. It\u2019s a bit like trial and error, and you drive yourself on by trying things out. I think the more mature you get, the more you can skip this part and go straight to the results. I\u2019ve done so many different things in my life, tried many different approaches and I\u2019m now at a point where I work in a pretty direct way. You can\u2019t do that as a student, not yet. You\u2019re still searching.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0 <\/span>Reality in the form of global challenges means that we have to look for new paths. How do you approach that?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>Absolutely. We no longer have the choice of staying the same. Personally, I never want to stop influencing the way people think. I was always afraid for the world, for nature, for the climate. I care about people and I respect people. I like diversity because it\u2019s very natural for me and reflects such an important part of my thinking, working and way of living. I feel really connected to the whole process.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s about your life\u2019s work and that\u2019s why your voice is influential.<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0<\/span>Yes, but it\u2019s also a struggle. We have to fight for freedom and also in a certain way for the products we create. I think in our world, we\u2019re able to find a healthy balance and a path in terms of commercial things. Without money, our system just doesn\u2019t work. I\u2019ve always felt a bit of an outsider in the fashion industry. On the one hand, you have to adapt and work commercially and on the other, I\u2019ve withdrawn from the system and do small things, which are very important because they give me the opportunity to do what I want. That\u2019s vital to me.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0<\/span>You have to fight for this independence or fight over this independence, right?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0<\/span>Over the years, my career has been a roller-coaster, with highs and lows, and I\u2019ve sometimes made decisions that have had a major impact on my life, work, money and everything else. There were difficult times. I\u2019m very happy that in the year 2000, I made the decision to become completely independent and fight for my freedom. Today, I can say that this decision has made me very happy.<\/p>\n

S:\u00a0<\/span>And what drives you on?<\/p>\n

WVB:\u00a0 <\/span>The fact that I still enjoy everything and I\u2019m doing even more than ever before. I\u2019m literally starting to feel my own gratitude and that makes me happy. There\u2019s a public that appreciates my work and there are people who are real fans. It\u2019s a nice feeling that you\u2019re not just doing this for yourself but for this whole community. And that creates a certain energy. My whole career has made sense to a certain group of people who genuinely believe in such a thing as a vocation.<\/p>\n

As featured in SLEEK 75 – HAPPINESS. Available in print and digital here.<\/a><\/p>\n"}]},"yoast_head":"\nWalter Van Beirendonck - Sleek Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his work, his time teaching and his fight for freedom.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Walter Van Beirendonck - Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his work, his time teaching and his fight for freedom.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-01-18T08:00:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-11T13:52:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"sleek\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sleek Magazine\",\"description\":\"Sleek is Germany\u2019s leading independent media house\/brand for creativity and innovation located in Berlin the creative capital of the world. This creativity manifests itself in SLEEK\u2019s quarterly print publication, digital and social media channels.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"de\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1920},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/\",\"name\":\"Walter Van Beirendonck - Sleek Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-01-18T08:00:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-11T13:52:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68\"},\"description\":\"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his work, his time teaching and his fight for freedom.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Walter Van Beirendonck\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68\",\"name\":\"sleek\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"sleek\"},\"description\":\"She\u2019s currently writing her thesis on immersive installation and has a soft spot for techno, existential art memes and nineties sunglasses.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/author\/sleek\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Walter Van Beirendonck - Sleek Magazine","description":"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his work, his time teaching and his fight for freedom.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"Walter Van Beirendonck - Sleek Magazine","og_description":"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his work, his time teaching and his fight for freedom.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/","og_site_name":"Sleek Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/","article_published_time":"2023-01-18T08:00:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-11T13:52:42+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sleekmag","twitter_site":"@sleekmag","twitter_misc":{"Verfasst von":"sleek"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/","name":"Schlankes Magazin","description":"Sleek ist Deutschlands f\u00fchrendes unabh\u00e4ngiges Medienhaus\/Marke f\u00fcr Kreativit\u00e4t und Innovation mit Sitz in Berlin, der kreativen Hauptstadt der Welt. Diese Kreativit\u00e4t manifestiert sich in der viertelj\u00e4hrlich erscheinenden Print-Publikation, den digitalen und Social-Media-Kan\u00e4len von SLEEK.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"de"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4A3A6113.jpg","width":1280,"height":1920},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/","name":"Walter Van Beirendonck - Sleek Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2023-01-18T08:00:13+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-11T13:52:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68"},"description":"SLEEK talks to Walter Van Beirendonck about the deeper meaning of his work, his time teaching and his fight for freedom.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"de","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/walter-van-beirendonck\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Walter Van Beirendonck"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68","name":"schlank","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"sleek"},"description":"Zurzeit schreibt sie ihre Doktorarbeit \u00fcber immersive Installationen und hat ein Faible f\u00fcr Techno, existentielle Kunstmemes und Sonnenbrillen aus den Neunzigern.","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/author\/sleek\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}