Not only working as a fashion designer, Dirk Van Saene holds a long standing position as a teacher of design at the Royal Academy school in Antwerp. Nourishing exceptional talent in this intimate yet gruelling program of fashion education, Dirk has seen many unique creatives pass through his classes, and for NºA he chose to celebrate these in several stories – in this case the work of German designer Bernhard Willhelm, now famous for his outrageously tongue-in-cheek mens and womenswear, characterised by organic patterns, prints and intricately constructed silhouettes that play between the historical and futuristic.

Dirk asked French illustrator Emmanuelle Mafille to illustrate Bernhard’s collection – stripping the colour and fancy of his designs to reveal the pure silhouette details, aligning the simplicity of Dirk’s vision with Bernhard’s crazy world. Her spare line drawings mimic tribal etchings, and the use of negative space draws a sharp contrast to the reality of Bernhard’s richly hued fabrics.