Walter Van Beirendonck’s W<, short for Wild & Lethal Trash, was launched in 1993 as a parallel project to his mainline work and functioned as a radical experiment rooted in youth culture and futurism. Backed by German denim manufacturer Mustang, the label was conceived as a way to reach a younger, global audience while allowing Van Beirendonck greater creative freedom outside the conventions of luxury fashion.
The label fused streetwear silhouettes with aggressive colour, sci-fi graphics, inflatable constructions, and cartoon symbols, blurring boundaries between club culture, rave aesthetics, and high fashion. Recurring motifs such as extraterrestrial imagery and the mascot Puk Puk helped construct a self-contained visual universe that reflected both optimism and unease surrounding technology, the future, and the body at the end of the twentieth century.
Conceptually, W< operated as a site for social commentary, particularly around masculinity and sexuality. Throughout the 1990s, collections explored exaggerated physiques, protective shells, and hypermasculine forms in deliberately confrontational ways. Inflated muscle torsos, fetish-coded materials, and references to military gear disrupted traditional ideas of male strength and authority, often turning them into caricature.
Despite its cultural impact, W< came to an end in 1999, concluding with the Spring Summer collection titled Hi Sci Fi. The closure was driven largely by creative tensions between Van Beirendonck and the brand’s commercial backers, who increasingly pushed for a more marketable and conventional direction.
The Guardian Angel pistol, first seen in AW97 “Avatar”, is molded into the flaps of this oversized messenger bag. The strap is embroidered with Van Beirendonck catchphrases like “Kiss The Future”. (Comes with a free W< lightning bolt keychain!)
Measurements:
Depth 10cm
Width 37cm
Length 36cm
Strap Length:
145cm – longest
76cm – shortest