Bears as chairs, sticks as fingers, aliens as body suits. In Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck’s world, fashion is bizarre, sometimes even extraterrestrial — in his eyes, anything can be used in fashion.
Van Beirendonck presented his Fall/Winter 2025 “NEW” menswear collection on Jan. 22, the second day of Paris Men’s Fashion Week. In contrast to his Spring/Summer 2025 show in an outdoor flower garden, this season’s runway took place in a round white showroom with floor-to-ceiling windows in the Porte de Saint-Ouen neighborhood, just over four miles from the heart of Paris.
Originally part of the Antwerp Six — an innovative group of early ’80s designers who graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts — Van Beirendonck is a pioneer of avant-garde Belgian fashion. His “NEW” collection incorporates alien elements and dystopian themes into everyday menswear — an extension of his brand’s signature use of bold patterns, vibrant colors and outlandish accessories.
Each chair at the show donned a flyer with a captivating quote for guests to ponder. While thrifting vintage clothing has become a popular pastime for many Gen Z and millennial shoppers, Van Beirendonck urged his audiences to look toward the future of fashion instead of dwelling on past trends. One chair even read, “the boom of vintage or archival clothing, although a fantastic step towards a more sustainable fashion world, makes for few interesting or unseen volumes walking the streets.”
Many of the “NEW” collection’s pieces featured the words “WE COME IN PEACE” — an apt phrase for alien-decorated clothing, but also a social statement for Van Beirendonck. Throughout the collection Van Beirendonck put out all the stops to show how futuristic designs can still be stylish. One look featured a burgundy jacket and shorts set with clunky orange lace-up boots, black and orange leggings and a stuffed scarf resembling an alien’s arm. The extraterrestrial motifs were subtle — aside from the model’s alien-like finger extensions — creating a contemporary, eclectic outfit.
One of the show’s more formal looks featured a beige picnic plaid suit and tie, a dark brown bowler hat and a bright green collared shirt. This outfit diverged from the eccentricity of the rest of the collection, serving as a sophisticated reimagination of vintage style. Not all the looks, however, were as tasteful — one featured a head-to-toe alien bodysuit, almost reminiscent of a teenage Halloween costume. Whether the look is truly for sale or was meant to be a runway gimmick, it still felt out of place amid the quality of the whole collection.
The show concluded with some of Van Beirendonck’s models standing tall, while others sat stiffly on plush teddy bear cushions — all of them holding up peace signs with their long, E.T.-like fingers. Though the demonstration seemed like another alien reference, Van Beirendonck recently said that the show’s motif of peace was also a response to President Donald Trump’s “disgusting” rhetoric and the recent rightward shift in U.S. politics.
Van Beirendonck hopes that the fashion world can keep moving forward without fear of innovation — or aliens, for that matter.
Contact Andrea Lui at [email protected].
