Bernhard Willhelm

Bernhard Willhelm (b. 1972, Ulm) studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, and during this time was an assistant to Walter Van Beirendonck (b. 1957, Brecht), Alexander McQueen (b. 1969, London), Vivienne Westwood (b. 1941, Tintwistle) and Dirk Bikkembergs (b. 1959, Cologne). In 1999 he created his own label with the designer Jutta Kraus (b. 1972, Eppingen) before moving to Paris in 2002. Since 2013 he has been based in Los Angeles with his team where he designs fashion collections as well as works of art, theatre productions and music. He has developed a colourful and exuberant oeuvre that is both subversive and playful. The garments shown here are worn by yellow-, blue- and flesh-coloured mannequins, a concept the designer created for his exhibition Bernhard Willhelm 3000: When Fashion Shows the Danger then Fashion is the Danger at MOCA, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in 2015. Willhelm's work is multi-layered, playing with numerous cross-references and motifs and drawing joyously on popular culture. He makes extensive use of accessories and marketed products to give maximum volume to his pieces. Vigorously rejecting the minimalist trend of the 1990s, Willhelm’s work shows a consistent preference for quirky fashion sportswear.