SS26 Menswear: Walter Van Beirendonck Delivers a Dazzling, Avant-Garde Vision for SS26 Menswear

Walter Van Beirendonck

In Paris this July, Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck once again challenged convention with his Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection, unveiling a riot of mixed prints, colour, texture, and conceptual flair that defied easy categorisation.

Inspired by the utilitarian garments of artists, Van Beirendonck sent models down the runway described in his notes as "starry-eyed, wide-eyed boys on a time-warping, postmodern pilgrimage." 

The result was a boldly imaginative display that merged clashing colours with eclectic shapes and patterns, all "wrapped in pure future-forward imagination," according to the designer.

The collection featured painter's coats and smocks reinterpreted in exaggerated silhouettes, crafted from a range of fabrics. Oversized accessories played a starring role — fabric-covered buttons, oversized cuffs, dramatic collars, and super-scale necklaces lent a whimsical, almost surreal edge to the ensembles. Prominent pockets, frayed edges, and sculptural detailing completed the show’s off-kilter, dreamlike aesthetic.

Once again, Van Beirendonck proved that in his hands, menswear is a vivid, theatrical art form.

All photos from Walter Van Beirendonck / Totem Fashion

Men's Fashion: G-STAR and Walter Van Beirendonck unveil experimental capsule collection at Paris Fashion Week

Antwerp designer Walter Van Beirendonck's Spring-Summer 2025 collection, showcased at this month's Paris Fashion Week, features a distinctive collaboration with Amsterdam denim brand G-STAR, challenging traditional garment construction and denim design.

Held in the botanical garden of La Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris in Saint-Germain, located in the Sixth arrondissement of Paris, the show highlighted the designer's innovative denim experiments at the core of this partnership.

Titled "Denim with Balls," the designer was given complete carte blanche to explore unconventional garment manufacturing techniques, utilising minimal stitching and unique methods with glue and tapes.

This 19-piece limited-edition collection boasts bold styles like the Square Jeans, Wader Jeans, Embossed Pamflet Jeans, and Future Proof Jacket, characterized by embossed dots, taped seams, and exaggerated details.

All denim pieces are crafted from certified Cradle to Cradle fabric. The range also includes 3D-knitted tops and sweaters adorned with Van Beirendonck's slogans "Future Proof," "Wow," and "Stitch Less."

The embossed dots throughout the collection embody the playful "Denim with Balls" concept.

Walter Van Beirendonck

Explained the visionary designer: "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."

Gwenda van Vliet, CMO at G-STAR** said, "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."

The unisex Denim with Balls capsule collection will be available in selected stores worldwide in February 2025.

All photos, courtesy of G-STAR x Walter Van Beirendonck, by Dominique MAITRE

** G-Star recently introduced its latest denim innovation, "Homegrown Denim," developed through a pioneering collaboration with Wageningen University & Research and Dutch Cotton. Funded by G-Star, this experiment investigated the potential of greenhouse-grown cotton to significantly reduce the environmental impact of global cotton cultivation, aiming to benefit the entire industry.

The research was driven by the need to meet the rapidly growing global demand for responsible cotton. Cotton is relatively easy to grow but requires substantial agricultural space and up to 10,000 liters of water per kilogram, depending on a specific warm climate, making cotton cultivation the beginning of a lengthy and complex supply chain.

“G-Star’s curiosity and drive for innovation led us to our partnership with Wageningen University & Research to study the feasibility of growing cotton in a greenhouse. This groundbreaking experiment could revolutionize cotton cultivation by drastically reducing water consumption and land use, eliminating the use of chemical pesticides, improving cotton quality, and significantly shortening the supply chain,” said Rebecka Sancho, Head of Sustainability at G-Star.

The six-month experiment, conducted at a research facility in Bleiswijk, Netherlands, examined the quality, yield, and fiber properties of greenhouse-grown cotton, comparing its environmental footprint to traditional methods. Strategies like precision irrigation and renewable energy were explored to reduce impact, alongside an analysis of economic viability and market potential.

The research resulted in the first Dutch greenhouse-grown cotton. The findings revealed that growing cotton in a greenhouse provides a controlled and protected environment that enhances crop productivity, quality, and sustainability, while reducing the risks associated with outdoor cultivation.

Menswear: Walter Van Beirendonck 's DAWLEETOO the Legendary Lost City collection

Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck's SS24 DAWLEETOO collection delved into his discovery of memories, history and art, that have filled his research notebook with drawings, collages and pictorial images, blurring the boundary between real and surreal, presented during Men’s Paris Fashion Week. 

The designer had taken inspiration from DAWLEETOO -  the Legendary Lost City - turning to AI to explore the boundaries of reality at the edge of the Sumatran jungles, 

“I love to research. That’s how I always start,” said Walter Van Beirendonck.

The designer juxtaposed between hard and soft materials, Playing with voluminous versus body-skimming silhouettes. Protection versus transparency. Monochromatic versus bi-colours: red/white, black/yellow, a shot of lime green and multi-colours even.

Note the oversized see-through blazers, vinyl raincoats, and bomber jackets with over-padded shoulders covering soft garments worn underneath. 

There are also large ruffles and other funky shapes to bemuse the audience.  A delightfully fun collection that challenges the consumer of today.

Photos courtesy of Walter Van Beirendonck.