Bernhardt Willhelm 1999-2004

Edited by Vanessa Joan Müller and Nicolaus Schafhausen for Ursula Blickle Stiftung Text by Ingeborg Harms, foreword by Nicolaus Schafhausen This book provides an exemplary look at the work of Bernhard Willhelm (*1972), the German fashion designer whose sartorial skills have been hailed by both the fashion industry and the art world. Willhelm, who studied in Antwerp and is now working in Paris, draws inspiration from contemporary fashion culture as well as from his country's traditional clothing style, the German folklore costumes which he reiterates and deconstructs in his work. This deliberate and unconventional approach to an otherwise conservative Heimat reservoir distinguishes him from other stars in the international fashion industry. The texts discuss Willhelm's innovative take on his native turf, as well as the impact of contemporary photography and pop culture on designers and artists alike. Fully conceived by the designer, this book documents Willhelm's most important projects and collections. "Many designs are characterized by childlike motifs and are regressive in a pronouncedly friendly way. They take a stand against an adult world shaped by obligatory dress codes that put the selection of what is to be worn under social control and separate 'correct' clothing from false. ... [His] designs therefore cause consternation also because they create a gently ironic parallel world to those low-life products which presumably are too familiar and banal even for fashion victims to be appropriated and recoded as fashion." Nicolaus Schafhausen Co-produced by the Ursula Blickle Stiftung.