bernhard willhelm interview by hintmag

What's your own way of dressing?

I like to change and play with me. Even if somebody says I found myself or whatever, that's crap. The nice thing about life is it changes everyday. The real you or me doesn't exist. Sometimes it's good to show your legs, while other days you might cover them. It's not good to hide yourself all the time. Sometimes you even have to let the ugliness out.

You don't believe in a wrong or right way to dress?

No, no, no.

So the way people dress never gets on your nerves?

No, no, no. Absolutely never. I don't criticize. If people want to look like that, it's fine.

What excites you then?

I like it when people make an effort. It's so rare. The one thing I don't like is fashion as a status symbol. I don't buy things to look rich. I have no respect for that. I'm not into the power that fashion can bring. I'm really against power dressing. Fashion's too linked with status and money. It's obvious and false. It kills the creativity. It kills everything, even your personality.

Do you ever design with sexiness in mind?

Er, not necessarily. Sexiness is not the reason I design. I don't think about designing for a person except for the two arms and two legs. It's more about the ideal image. It's very abstract. It's the pure aesthetic that interests me.

... I want to know about Bernhard the man, so tell me about your childhood.

I had a greenhouse when I grew up. And I was completely involved with my little world of meat-eating plants. Some of them live in the water and eat plankton, while others grow on surfaces with no food other than insects. It's a fascinating form of evolution. Even now, my mother phones me to tell me how the plants are. I wasn't interested in toys as a child, but I am now. Toys have this extremely fantasized form of craziness that connects with the way I design. It has nothing to do with what's real. I'm not really bothered about the body or person. Just fantasy. That's what I like, pure fantasy.

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