Walter Van Beirendonck Men’s Fall 2026
Walter Van Beirendonck has never been one to whisper, but his Fall/Winter 2026–2027 collection, SCARE the CROW / SCARECROW, felt like a cry disguised as a celebration. Set against a backdrop of yellow-covered sculptures and a motorcycle draped in flowers and guns, the show opened like a surreal still life of modern contradictions. Inspired by Art Brut and the raw freedom of childhood, the collection explored how innocence and aggression coexist in youth today. T-shirts printed with “HI THERE, ARE YOU FR?” teased the performative sincerity of Gen Z, while the designer’s signature humour softened the critique. Beneath the playfulness ran something more serious: a message about fragility, protection, and the desperate act of preserving beauty in a world that feels increasingly weaponised.
The tension between tailoring and sportswear, tradition and rebellion, defined the show’s pulse. Deconstructed suiting layered over fluorescent-trimmed T-shirts brought together precision and chaos, while wool tailoring collided with nylon and plastic. Sweaters inspired by Afghan war rugs reminded the audience that even play can carry history. Elsewhere, toy-like guns appeared beside bright blooms, echoing the impossible contradictions that young people inherit. Accessories felt sculptural and human all at once — skinny belts wrapped around outerwear, sleeves hung loose above the arms, and plastic tunics gleamed under stage lights like wearable shields. It was fashion that asked what protection looks like when the threat is emotional as much as physical.
Van Beirendonck’s world has always been one of joyful protest, and this season was no different. Collaborating again with Eastpak, he reintroduced his “monster” bags with detachable limbs, the kind of object that’s as serious as it is absurd. Colours came in jolts: red, lemon, azure; each hue as defiant as the next. There was something deeply moving about how the collection turned found objects into hope, as though the designer were saying that even in times of conflict, creativity remains our last form of resistance. It was witty, wild and deeply human, a reminder that Van Beirendonck’s most powerful language is still the fearless honesty of making things by hand.
