Walter Van Beirendonck’s collaboration with G-STAR, originally unveiled at Paris Fashion Week last June, is now available in selected stores worldwide. The unisex capsule collection showcases the Belgium designer’s bold denim explorations, merging avant-garde design with G-STAR’s innovation-driven craftsmanship. The campaign spotlights an innovative collection featuring Walter Van Beirendonck himself, captured by photographer Paul Kooiker.
Denim with Balls
Van Beirendonck has combined his legendary craftsmanship with G-STAR’s denim expertise to create an innovative capsule collection, titled ‘Denim with Balls’. The avant-garde designer was given full carte blanche and decided to experiment with denim and unconventional garment-making. For this project, Van Beirendonck used minimal stitching, and focused on unusual methods like glueing and taping.
“I aimed to challenge and reimagine traditional methods. Why are clothes still being stitched when we have the potential to explore so many other techniques? This project is all about innovation, research, and pushing the conventions of fashion. It was great to be given total creative freedom by G-STAR.” – Walter Van Beirendonck
The 19-piece limited-edition collection features bold styles, such as the Square Jeans, Wader Jeans, Embossed Pamflet Jeans and Future Proof Jacket, featuring embossed dots, taped seams, and exaggerated details. All denim pieces are made with certified Cradle to Cradle fabric. Elsewhere, the capsule includes 3D-knitted tops and sweaters, with Van Beirendonck’s slogans ‘Future Proof’, ‘Wow’ and ‘Stitch Less’. The embossed dots, used throughout the collection, showcase the playful ‚Denim with Balls’ concept.
“Van Beirendonck is one of the most important fashion designers of our times. His unique vision, playfulness and extreme creative mind are why we decided to work with him. ‘Denim with Balls’ is a testament to our shared vision of challenging norms and redefining what denim can be.” – Gwenda van Vliet, CMO at G-STAR
Campaign shoot with Walter
The campaign captures designer Walter Van Beirendonck himself through the lens of Paul Kooiker, the Dutch photographer known for his bold and avant-garde visual style. Shot entirely with an iPhone, Kooiker brings an unfiltered, surreal edge to each frame, pushing the boundaries of traditional fashion imagery. Celebrated for his collaborations, Kooiker reimagines the subject in unconventional ways, creating a dreamlike narrative that perfectly complements the collection’s daring aesthetic.
Antwerp Avant-Garde
Walter Van Beirendonck is known for avant-garde and playful designs that often challenge societal norms, pushing the boundaries of fashion. The Belgian designer’s unconventional approach has been embraced by the fashion world since his debut. He is recognized as one of the members of the Antwerp Six.
Van Beirendonck’s designs are characterized by vibrant colors, graphic prints, and unconventional silhouettes, often infused with elements of humor and social commentary. He has worked as a curator for exhibitions, designed costumes for ballet and opera, and created a homeware collection for IKEA, always exploring the intersection of fashion, art, and culture. Van Beirendonck has also collaborated with musicians like U2 and renowned creatives such as Erwin Wurm, Maarten Baas, Marc Newson, Rei Kawakubo, Juergen Teller, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, and Orlan.
Besides running his own label, the Flemish designer was the head of the fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp until 2022. He mentored many talented designers, including Raf Simons, Demna Gvasalia, Craig Green, Bernard Willhelm, Kris Van Assche, Veronique Branquinho, and Rushemy Botter. For the 2024/2025 academic year, Van Beirendonck will be mentoring the Master in Fashion Design program at Polimoda, the Florence fashion school.
