Costume and Textiles Man's Pullover Sweater and Pin-on Button Made in Italy, Europec. 1999-2001 aestheticterrorists®. Designed by Walter Van Beirendonck, Belgian, born 1957. Worn by John Cale, born 1942, Garnant, South Wales. Fluorescent yellow wool/acrylic/cellophane knit; metal pin-on button Currently not on view 2002-24-7a,b 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift from the private collection of John Cale, 2002 |
LabelWalter Van Beirendonck has changed the boundaries of fashion, combining sci-fi futurism and sadomasochist fantasies. So strong is his concern for originality that in 1999 he broke with his successful but, he felt, too-commercial label Wild & Lethal Trash, or W.&L.T. (pronounced "walt"). His new, small-scale label, aestheticterrorists, was named not for its aggressive meaning but to wake up the indifferent world of fashion. The strong but affordable clothes use screaming colors to demand a reaction, and, as the "Stop!" button here indicates, banish banality. |
