Jacket

Walter Van Beirendonck|Wild & Lethal Trash

spring/summer 1996 · plastic (polyvinyl chloride) · Costume Institute

Walter Van Beirendonck's inflatable "He-Man" torso jacket was shown as part of his Killer / Astral Travel / 4D-Hi-D collection for spring/summer 1996, which was a powerful statement against the ravage caused by the AIDS epidemic. The collection came out under the label "W.&L.T.," or Wild & Lethal Trash, in collaboration with the denim brand Mustang. The motto for these youthful collections was "Kiss The Future," a concept translated in high-tech materials, bright colors and cartoonish graphics, appropriated from rave culture. Van Beirendonck contrasted childlike references with exaggerated masculine aggressive characteristics, symbolizing how the AIDS epidemic created violence through innocent love and sexuality. The use of plastics referred to latex and safe sex as ways to prevent infection with the HIV virus. Van Beirendonck describes fashion as a mutilation, or a process of making constant changes to the body: by blowing the male torso out of proportion, he creates a camp deflation of masculinity, worn on the body.

Artist

Walter Van Beirendonck|Wild & Lethal Trash

Date

spring/summer 1996

Medium

plastic (polyvinyl chloride)

Culture

Belgian

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2020