The photographer and Another Man contributor opens up about his latest project: a line of collectables created in collaboration with Antwerp store and label VIER
- TextTed Stansfield
Willy Vanderperre is one of the most prolific fashion photographers working today. Even if you don’t know his name, you’ll certainly know his images: campaigns for brands such as Calvin Klein, Raf Simons and Prada, and covers for magazines including AnOther and Another Man. (He shot Tilda Swinton and Ben Whishaw respectively for the S/S19 issue of each.) His latest project isn’t a fashion shoot, however; it’s a line of “collectables” created in collaboration with Antwerp store and label VIER.
Several years in the making and titled ‘T-shirts, stickers, pins and more’, this line comprises of a range of items including tees, hoodies, sports towels, beach towels, pins, badges, patches, totes, and stickers – all rendered in a patriotic palette of black, yellow and red, reflecting the Belgian flag.
Speaking over the phone from Belgium, where he’s returned before a busy month of travel, Vanderperre says has been a fan of VIER for a while, citing its amazing edit of brands, and the clothes it makes itself. He also says he has been keen to create something at a lower price point. “Not everything has to be an expensive print or an expensive book,” he explains. “It can also be something that is obtainable and accessible. And something that is hugely collectable, too.”
Available now at Dover Street Market stores worldwide, The Broken Arm in Paris, Slam Jam Milan and of course VIER in Antwerp, ‘T-shirts, stickers, pins and more’ is a very autobiographical project – and not just in its patriotism. For one, it features four visuals that are important to the photographer: Stadspark and Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, the Jan Fabre company and a still from his recent film Naked Heartland. And then there’s the pieces themselves, which reflect his photography and the clothes he wears day-to-day. “The t-shirt is an item that I like. It’s something that always appears in my shoots, and it’s the same thing with a sweater,” he says. “I mean how could you live without a t-shirt or a sweater?”
What really excited Vanderperre about the project was the opportunity to work with VIER, and to put his hands to something outside the realm of fashion photography. “I collaborated with these kids because I like them; I like their concept, I like their graphics. It’s a territory I have not explored and I thought it was cool to do something really simple, but at the same time, you know it’s something that people actually can buy. I think that’s where the excitement comes from, that it was something different, you know something that I have not done before.”
However much he enjoyed it though, Vanderperre is clear that this is a one-off project and that there won’t be a ‘T-shirts, stickers, pins and more II’. This, he says, makes the items that bit more special and collectable. It’s a shame though – we’d like to see more!
Head here to shop the collection
