THE TALK

BRANDON WEN

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU FIRST TO THE ACADEMY, AS A STUDENT?

BRANDON: “I first found out about the academy when I was in high school during a trip to Antwerp. We visited the Momu, the Walter store, and the boutique RA that used to be in the Kloosterstraat, and I remember that I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was so much creativity and joy spilling out of a place I was only just finding out about. That summer I fell completely in love with Antwerp and it became a bit of a religious obsession (laughs). From then on, I always followed my intense attraction to the energy of the school, for me there wasn’t another place that created with so much energy, fun, authenticity, and explosive creativity.”

CAN I CALL YOU A FOODIE?

“I love dinner parties, it’s my favorite way of celebrating something. The problem is that I don’t have enough plates. If I could, I would do them more often with more people. Someone once told me that a good party is about nice food and a DJ. And I couldn’t agree more. I’m big on Thanksgiving, it’s easy to celebrate in Belgium, because it’s not a holiday here, so everyone’s free to come over. I love a good farewell dinner or a celebration of something... I enjoy cooking and I like to put a lot of food on the table. My dad’s Chinese and my mom’s Spanish, both food cultures. I love to fill the table. I usually start very late, so everyone arrives and starts drinking and talking, so by the time the food is ready everyone is buzzed and I’m exhausted (laughs).” At 29, American born Brandon Wen is a contemporary of most of his students. The newly appointed creative director is ready to bring the Antwerp Fashion Department into a new era full of humor, self-reflection and of course the explosive creativity and authenticity the academy is renowned for. He talks to Anverso about food, celebration and his love for Antwerp.

PHOTO: AKHIL BABU FOR ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS ANTWERP

“SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME THAT A GOOD PARTY IS ABOUT NICE FOOD AND A DJ. AND I COULDN’T AGREE MORE.”

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL CHRISTMAS AT YOUR HOUSE?

“I usually go home for Christmas, this year we are going to Spain to visit my mom’s family. It’s usually a huge dinner with the family, all my cousins visit, it’s nice.”

BELGIUM IS FAMOUS FOR IT’S FOOD AND DRINK CULTURE. WERE YOU AWARE BEFORE YOU LIVED HERE?

“Belgium has a nice culture around drinking, and I really love this. In the US art is sort of reserved for finer people. You just don’t walk into a gallery, and when you do go, you feel like an alien. Here you can go to gallery openings, there are drinks, people hang out... It sort of leads to a more open environment of having people over. The difference between Antwerp and a city like Paris: that it’s a lot cheaper to live in, people are less concerned about rent. So there is more room to socialize and people are more generous with their time. For me, this clicks.”

HOW DO YOU SEE THE FUTURE OF FASHION?

“I hope to see a future full of creativity and authenticity. I think there is a feeling and a need for design that is more personal, more daring and connected to a deeper understanding of ourselves, from an artistic point, but also a business point of view. I hope that we will be a new generation of creatives who know who they are, what they want and will work to create a professional and artistic space in the world.”