Christian Wijnants* i-D interview

[Baizilla]

Since he gathered so much attention with his F/W 06 show.. I thought it would only be appropriate to share this article.

Source: i-D Magazine / i-dmagazine.com
Text by: Lauren Cochrane

CHRISTIAN WIJNANTS – Late last year, the fashion world was momentarily puzzled. At the annual Swiss Textiles Awards – where a designer receives a 100,000 Euro grant – something unusual happened. Beating off competition from the likes of Undercover, Charles Anastase and Giles Deacon, a lesser-known Belgian name – Christian Wijnants – was announced as the winner.
“It was a dream come true, of course”, says the Brussels-born, Antwerp-based designer, two months later. “I had been following the prize since Haider Ackermann and Raf Simons won. I never thought I would even be nominated.” Such modesty is typical of Wijnants who says he is “lucky” that being a designer has worked out “because I never thought about doing anything else.”
Talent might also have something to do with his success. Pulling off an unusual feat of creating interesting clothes that people can easily wear, this is perhaps why he’s so applauded by both camps. With a background in knitwear – “I love the idea that you take a piece of yarn and make something 3-D” – he has a fascination with the handcrafted. This creates consistently feminine, organic collections mixing anything from fringing to patchwork. While Wijnants is reluctant to blow his own design trumpet, others are happy to do it for him. The fashion world likes to give him awards. Even before he graduated from Antwerp’s famous academy – the Belgian equivalent of St Martins – in 2000, he had picked up two. On graduation, he was singled out by Dries Van Noten for an award and a year on, he won the prestigious Hyeres prize. “It’s all very nice getting these awards, and being interviewed for magazines,” says Wijnants “but the ultimate goal for me is to see people wearing my clothes. Otherwise, it’s fashion for fashion’s sake.”
Wijnants learnt that fashion didn’t exist in a vacuum when he scored a job at Dries Van Noten straight out of college. “I learnt such a lot there,” he remembers. “The Academy is great but when you graduate you realize you have to make a living. Dries was brilliant introduction to the business. It’s always a huge collection that goes off in different directions. Even if I don’t like the collections since then, I can really appreciate their way of working.” Wijnants own way of working often starts with the idea of journey. For spring/summer, his armchair travelling took him to South Africa. “It started out from a holiday in Egypt but I kept on going South,” he says. Inspiration from SA shows itself in the dusty, earthy colours and patchworks. “It’s the way people recycle clothes there and wear clothes in their own way,” Wijnants explains “That’s how I would like people to wear my clothes. For me, it’s not about a total look dedicated by the designer.”
This deference to a dresser’s individualism could come from the mouth of fellow Belgian Raf Simons, who Wijnants also worked for. Although miles apart in aesthetic – Wijnants prefers the feminine while Simmons is all about the graphic – they share an interest in street culture and how people wear clothes day to day. With this attitude showing up in everything from rave stylings at Walter van Beirendonck to low-key cuts from Dirk Bikkembergs, perhaps this is a particularly Antwerp-ian thing? While Wijnants is reluctant to generalize he does concede that there is “something in the air here, a freedom. People don’t really care about trends.”
The city itself, although never a direct inspiration, has proved to pull in the young Wijnants’ life, not least because of the design legacy. “I was 13 or 14 when the Antwerp designers [the Antwerpen Six] started to be famous,” he remembers. “I was very proud of being Belgian. I came to Antwerp all the time to visit exhibitions, go to the Academy, look in the shops. It was a new world for me.” Pointing out that there were “so many different possibilities – it wasn’t just the intellectual fashion of Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester”, new Academy students like Wijnants took the brave new world posed by their Belgian forefathers (and mothers) and ran with it. After luminaries Bernhard Willhelm and Raf Simons, Wijnants is a part of a third generation of Belgian design – “so they tell me.” Backed up by the likes of Bruno Pieters and Haider Ackermann (who won the Swiss Textile Award in 2004), this praise-shy designer is leading the charge. With 100,000 Euros in his pocket and all eyes on his Paris show, he better get used to the attention.

 

[djork]

beating off competition.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I don't know if he is that good.

 

[Spacemiu]

I love Christian Wijnants, I think his clothes are very creative and very free spirited but wearable.

I'm glad he is getting more press.

 

[Baizilla]

I love his craftsmanship and his visions.. they are really appealing to me

 

[tricotineacetat]

The money would have been very wisely invested in Bruno Pieter's business.

 

[susie_bubble]

I love his clothes too..... though Tric has made a fair point. I'm interested to see how he spends that dough...

 

[Lena]

thanks for the article baizilla

 

[Baizilla]

you are welcome.. oops i forgot the source in the title

 

[Lena]

^ it wasn't necessary really, i just edited to let people know its a (rare as far as i know) Widjnants interview, some members may just get attracted by the i-D 'factor'

 

[Baizilla]

oh okay..

 

[Scott]

nay sayers please be open because when something like Swiss Textiles even nominates a designer...obviously the designer must have alot of promise and talent. These guys have keen eyes when they choose the winners. And I think Christian deserved it just as much as anybody. Of course,everybody assumed Jun was going to take it initially but perhaps because of his cult status maybe they thought somebody a bit less-known and modest(business-wise I mean) deserved it. I agree that Bruno deserves it but he also hasn't yet been nominated. I hope he does this year!

Anyway,great article!

Thanks Baizilla!!

 

[Baizilla]

you are most welcome Scott..

 

[sea of stitches]

thanks for the article baizilla!!

 

[MulletProof]

thanks for posting baizilla. something to read on my way to work

 

[telepathicgoat]

The money would have been very wisely invested in Bruno Pieter's business.

Bruno Pieters is part of one of the richest families in Belgium.
And with his own shop now going in Antwerp, I think he is doing fine.....

It is very nice to see Christian Wijnants getting more press.

 

[Scott]

Thanks for the info,telepathicgoat. I never knew that about Bruno. But I'd probably be right in assuming he doesn't take advantage of that since I remember him saying one time that he preferred Antwerp because it was "cheap". But I also think rich by Belgian standards aren't the same as Americans or the Brits....quite modest not only he is but Belgians in general.

He's opening his first shop now too? That's quite soon considering how long he's been at it. Now I can't wait to be back there again!

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Thanks for the info,telepathicgoat. I never knew that about Bruno. But I'd probably be right in assuming he doesn't take advantage of that since I remember him saying one time that he preferred Antwerp because it was "cheap". But I also think rich by Belgian standards aren't the same as Americans or the Brits....quite modest not only he is but Belgians in general.

He's opening his first shop now too? That's quite soon considering how long he's been at it. Now I can't wait to be back there again!

I disagree a bit. I'm pretty sure he does take advantage of it. I don't mean that he mooches his parents to keep his line in business but I'd be suprised if he doesn't get a helping hand (or deposit in his bank account) when things are a bit slow. I have no idea so I'm purely talking out of my ***.

Also, it's silly to think that rich people in Belgium aren't as rich as they are in the U.S. or U.K. no? I mean, who do you think will keep his shop and the many other high end label shops in Antwerp and Brussels in business? Belgium and the Netherlands included are notorious for being filled to the brim with really really old money. The area used to be one of the richest in the world with a strong merchant economy. Things have obviously changed but I can imagine Antwerp and Brussels has it's fair share of millionaires.

About Christian, I'm glad he won the award although this blurb from I-D is a bit too premature in it's excitement. He's good, but not that good, yet.That said I can't think of any other designer his age that I would rather write a hyped up article about. Who else....Gareth Pugh? ha

 

[Scott]

I didn't mean it in that way. I meant Belgians probably aren't quite as extravagant and flashy with their money as Americans and the British tend to be. And obviously with Bruno's personality and the style of his clothes he's really down-to-earth. But this is all in saying if Bruno is really that rich.

I think the reason many are excitable about Christian is that he has a fresh approach at the moment. Except Bernhard and Walter(and Jurgi Persoons is out of business),there aren't that many coming from Antwerp at the moment with such colourful,whimsical sense of style.

 

[Spacemiu]

Isn't Dries also from a very rich Belgian family?