Today, Van Beirendonck (pictured) is still considered the most controversial of Belgian designers, but the title comes with a great deal of respect. Antwerp’s Fashion Museum (MoMu) chose him to be the first of the famous “Antwerp Six” – the group of fashion graduates that collaborated to put Belgium on the fashion map in the 1980s – for a retrospective, which opens this week.

The decision to invite Van Beirendonck wasn’t made lightly, says Karen Vangodtsenhoven of the Fashion Museum: “Any museum has to be careful not to be elitist. Anyone should be able to enjoy the exhibitions we create. I think that Walter, with his unique style and very present personality, is very accessible. Everyone has at least heard of him, and many have already met him.”

Especially in Antwerp, that statement rings true. Van Beirendonck is a fixture in his hometown, where he has his workshop and offices, runs his boutique W.A.L.T.E.R. and is head of the fashion department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His appearance is striking, to say the least: a big man with a fierce beard, often wearing much jewellery and bright, colourful clothes.

Van Beirendonck, 54, is not a sheltered, mysterious designer, like, say, Martin Margiela, who also came out of the Antwerp school. Instead of holing up in an ivory tower, Van Beirendonck spends most of his time among the people who share his passion and never-ending drive to create. That’s why he doesn’t avoid working with commercial brands. He’s the designer behind the ZulupaPUWA kids collection for Flemish retail chain JBC, and for five years he was creative director of Scapa Sports – the younger, sporty line of the Flemish label.

Van Beirendonck: “I’m happy I have so many facets, and I wish to use them all. But people will always try to label you. I can understand why some want to call me provocative or controversial, even though I don’t see myself that way. To me, my thoughts, my associations and the way in which I use my fantasy feel completely normal.”

But perhaps it’s not such a bad idea to give a platform to this designer, who became known as “the one who puts little guys with penises” on his clothes (it’s his logo) and stirred up the fashion scene when he debuted his S&M inspired collection on the runway back in the 1980s.

The people of the Fashion Museum want not only to showcase the work of the very talented menswear designer, they also want to show you what is behind the crazy prints and outrageous creations. “It truly is all about Walter; he is the main curator of the exhibition,” explains Vangodtsenhoven. “The MoMu team simply helped him create his universe in our museum.”

Dreaming the World Awake presents 100 pieces from Van Beirendonck’s collections throughout the years in little groups, linked to different themes. Those themes will be illustrated on “Walter’s Wonder Wall”.

“It is a gigantic wall of inspiration, with images, words, quotes, objects, artefacts and works of art by designers who have influenced me. It will be a wall of respect, an ode to people who have changed the way I think, but it will also be a wall of fantasy, filled with my toys,” he tells me.

The starting point of the exhibition was Van Beirendonck’s portfolios: books in which he pasted photos and images, jotted down quotes and assembled the inspirations for each new collection. Vangodtsenhoven: “You can really tell they are all made by the same person – the same things turn up time and again. If you put all portfolios of the past 25 years together, it just makes sense.”

The designer himself was pleasantly surprised to discover this: “It was nice to see how my designs all came together, as if they were part of one big collection.”

Van Beirendonck knew that putting together a retrospective would be a lot of work; what he didn’t realise was how emotional he would feel. “All my life, I’ve kept everything”, he says, “but I’ve never had my archives arranged in a way that I could just walk through it. With every box that I opened, memories of pretty intense moments and periods have come up. A lot has happened, and much of it I very consciously experienced: I did everything, from communication to mailings and fittings. It’s like you are transported back to those moments, with the good and the bad memories.”

The good, the bad and the taboo

Every designer’s career is a roller coaster of ups and downs, but especially for a designer as eccentric and uncompromising as Van Beirendonck, life in fashion can be hard. “I am free-spirited and very spontaneous, and it poses a risk. I’ve always created my collections the way I wanted to, and, luckily, I’ve had a very loyal following throughout the years. But I still have this image that can scare away new customers. So commercially, it’s not that easy.”

And of course there are those who see the word “retrospective” as some kind of nail in the coffin. “People have asked me whether the time has come for me to call it quits,” he says. “But I don’t feel like stopping, not for a long time. I think it’s a feeling stronger than rationale, an urge to make a new collection, every time again. It’s an adventure, and it doesn’t always go as planned, but I feel like I am much more respected than I used to be. Especially the professional audience sees the depth to my creations, the research I put into it, and the language I have built for myself. It’s still worth every effort.”

Van Beirendonck is also not quite ready to throw in the towel because of his conviction that, as a public figure, it is his responsibility to make the heavier things in life the subject of discussion. To those who glance at his designs, it might seem like the thread running through is sex and violence. But those who look carefully can easily find the hidden message. “I always try to communicate through my collections, but in a breezy, accessible way. Even when I handle topics like AIDS – which has been a recurrent theme for me – I never want it to be heavy and gloomy.”

Dreaming the World Awake is neither heavy nor gloomy, but rich in associations, interpretations and cross-references. For those who haven’t already had a chat with the designer, here’s your chance.

www.waltervanbeirendonck.com