No need to tell you Bernhard Willhelm’s latest show was full of patterns, weird noises and provocative inscriptions – a child of Nu-Rave culture, the Austrian designer continues to teach club culture to a clean-cut French audience. This collection was inspired by road work it seemed: splashes of paint, various road signs imprinted directly on chest or head bands built a playful Bob the Builder aesthetic.
Oversized plaid shirts worn as dresses, overalls, deconstructed army jackets, fringes all joined in an organized chaos, in patterns mixing African and Aztec references. Yet a few more wearable pieces were discreetly hidden: mohair hoodies, pleated shorts and draped cardigans will please the more demure fans.
Dazed Digital: What story are you telling through this collection?
Bernhard Willhelm: Everything is in transition – it’s the feeling you can stay home and still travel the world; hence the building and road work references.
DD: And how would you describe the style?
Bernhard Willhelm: A little 1992? And then this you bring 2012 back in, which is all about transition.
DD: What is the most challenging part of the collection?
Bernhard Willhelm: The cuts definitely– it can be hard to see the cuts because the clothes are so colorful, but there are a lot of intricate pieces that are very complicated to make, believe it or not!
DD: A lot of your menswear is also worn by women, why is that?
Bernhard Willhelm: Well the fanclub is very small for men so we do things that can be worn by men and women, and also this means we can sell the collection to both sexes.
Photography by Shoji Fujii
