The Italian fashion school Polimoda will host Walter Van Beirendonck as a mentor of the Master in Fashion Design for its 2024/2025 academic year.
Starting in October, the renowned Belgian designer will join the faculty of the Florence fashion school, directed by Massimiliano Giornetti.
“Walter Van Beirendonck represents the quintessence of the purest creativity, the synthesis of an absolute, uncompromising aesthetic. A hymn to independent thinking that does not bend to rules and trends,” commented Giornetti.
“For Polimoda it is a real honor to have Walter as mentor of the Master in Fashion Design, his vision and methodology in teaching will bring to the school the possibility to explore new horizons,” added the manager.
Van Beirendonck is an original member of the Antwerp Six and one of the most relevant independent designers of contemporary fashion. He is known as much for his bold use of color combinations, slogans, prints and for his quirky humor.
His collections range from playful and humorous to more critical themes, using fashion as a means to explore and reflect on social issues.
In addition to his ready-to-wear eponymous line, he has created iconic brands such as W.&L.T. (Wild & Lethal Trash) and Aestheticterrorists. He has also collaborated with internationally renowned artists and cultural institutions, such as designing costumes for U2's Pop Mart-Tour and the Berlin Opera.
Van Beirendonck also has extensive academic experience, having taught at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp Fashion Department from 1985 to 2022 and served as its headmaster from 2007 to 2022.
At Polimoda, Van Beirendonck will help shape the creativity of the students and, during the nine-month master's program, work closely with students, offering in-person review meetings and feedback on projects.
His will also oversee the development stages of students' collections based on his long experience in the industry.
“I am looking forward to starting the mentorship for Masters students at Polimoda in Florence, and I am ready to stimulate, encourage, excite and motivate a new generation of fashion designers,” commented Van Beirendonck.
Polimoda's Master in Fashion Design course is divided into two main areas–a research phase, which consolidates the cultural and technical foundations of design, and a practical phase, culminating in the creation and presentation of a personal capsule collection.
Among the resources available, students will have access to one of Europe's largest fashion library and to the modern garment and paper pattern laboratories on the Manifattura Tabacchi campus.
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