Bernhard Willhelm

Bernhard Willhelm (born November, 1972) is a German fashion designer.

Willhelm studied fashion design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, during which he assisted Walter van Beirendonck, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Dirk Bikkembergs. In 1998, he established his name sake fashion house together with Jutta Kraus. They debuted their first womenswear collection in 1999 and their first menswear collection was introduced in 2000.

In 2002, Bernhard Willhelm moved their design studio from Antwerp to Paris, at which time Willhelm also took upon the position as creative director for the fashion house Capucci through 2004.

From 2009 up until 2014, he held the position as head of the fashion department at Universität für Angewandte Kunst in Vienna, Austria. In 2011, Willhelm relocated his team temporarily to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and later in 2013 to Los Angeles, where the company has been based since.

Wilhellm's clothing is typified by craftsmanship, eclecticism, and irony. It reveals multifaceted fascinations, ranging from South German folklore, historical costume to sport and traditional Japanese dress as well as questions of diversity, the human condition, facets of culture and perceptions of reality.

Eccentric silhouettes, for both men and women, are additional characteristic features of Willhelm's work.

Wilhelm is known for his unconventional approach to presenting seasonal collections, preferring installations, performances and tableaux vivants over the fashion runway.

His career has been marked by collaborations with artists and creatives across disciplines, including Bjork, Olaf Breuning, Cutler X, Joe Dallesandro, Carsten Fock, William Forsythe, Carmen Freudenthal, Nick Knight, Nikolaus Schafhausen, Elle Verhagen, Tony Ward, and Lukas Wassmann.

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