Summary:
- The Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection explores childhood energy and contradictions between aggression and tenderness
- DIY aesthetics combine plastic artillery with flowers, while removable elements allow customization
- British wool meets technical fabrics as the collection addresses how young people face today's conflicts
Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck presented his Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection, titled SCARE the CROW / SCARECROW, during Paris Fashion Week. The collection draws from Art Brut, an artistic movement centered on work created outside traditional academic training.
The show began with a motorcycle adorned with flowers and guns, wrapped in yellow protective sheets similar to those used to preserve sculptures and valued objects. These covers became fabrics in the collection, creating shapes as bodies moved beneath them. Van Beirendonck uses this concept to explore how young people today navigate conflicting realities.
T-shirts bearing the phrase "HI THERE, ARE YOU FR?" reference internet slang and address how older generations dismiss younger ones. The question "are you for real" speaks to authenticity in an age of digital communication and skepticism.
Plastic artillery pieces appear throughout the collection, handmade with a DIY aesthetic and paired with floral elements. This visual tension reflects what young people confront in their daily lives. The contrast between weapons and flowers recurs across multiple pieces, creating a dialogue about violence and beauty.
Knitwear pieces take inspiration from war carpets, textiles that document conflicts and serve as historical records. These garments act as memory keepers, holding stories that need preservation. Van Beirendonck treats clothing as a form of documentation, recording the present moment for future understanding.
The collection combines British wool with nylon and plastic materials. Traditional tailoring techniques meet technical fabrics, creating pieces that bridge heritage and contemporary production methods. This material choice reflects the designer's interest in merging established practices with modern innovations.
Colors play a deliberate role in the collection. Bright hues draw attention while maintaining purpose rather than decoration. Van Beirendonck selected shades that enhance the collection's themes without overwhelming the message.
Eastpak has collaborated with Walter Van Beirendonck for Fall, inviting the visionary designer to create a new series of bags that includes his iconic “monster,” reimagined with detachable, fully functional parts. The collaboration marks a return to a longstanding creative relationship, coming 25 years after Van Beirendonck first teamed up with the lifestyle brand as the very first designer Eastpak ever worked with.
Removable elements give wearers control over their garments. Belts, sleeves, three-dimensional birds, guns, and blooms detach and reattach. Wearers rearrange these components to create new combinations, keeping the clothing in a state of transformation. This modular approach mirrors how young people adapt to changing circumstances.
The collection channels childlike creativity, the unfiltered thinking that produces drawings, words, and objects without self-censorship. Van Beirendonck translates this directness into his design process, treating clothes as vessels for expression.
French artist André Robillard influenced the collection significantly. Robillard creates guns from scrap materials, transforming discarded objects into art. Van Beirendonck adopts this approach, making weapons from unconventional materials to comment on the world's current state.
Young people face conflict regardless of their awareness or understanding. The collection acknowledges this reality without offering solutions. Instead, Van Beirendonck documents the experience of growing up during uncertain times.
The tension between aggression and tenderness defines the collection. Soft materials appear next to hard ones. Flowers grow alongside weapons. This duality reflects how youth must hold opposing ideas simultaneously, processing information about beauty and destruction at once.
SCARE the CROW / SCARECROW examines what it means to be young when the world presents constant contradiction. Van Beirendonck creates clothing that acknowledges this complexity without simplifying or resolving it.
Kristin Kaye
Insatiably curious about human expression, she immerses herself in literature, theater, art, and dance. Her academic journey led to degrees in Modern Literature, where she delved into The Furioso, and Historical Sciences with a focus on Contemporary History. Her studies took her to the prestigious Erasmus University Rotterdam, broadening her international perspective.
Her passion for culture isn't confined to personal enjoyment—it spills onto the pages of various publications. There, she explores not only artistic endeavors but also civil rights issues and the myriad ways human culture manifests itself. For her, writing about these topics isn't just a profession; it's an irresistible calling that stems from her deep-seated fascination with the human experience.
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