As mad as a Russian Monk with a proclivity for vodka, world renowned fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm reputedly prefers to design with a “hard-on”. The rush of blood from his brain to his totem apparently inspires him to new heights of twisted innovation. Very few fashionistas would disagree that the results speak for themselves even if the method is a little disconcerting. Bernhard Willhelm has gained an enviable reputation for overstepping the bounds yet managing to remain relevant; Alexander McQueen is perhaps the only other contemporary designer to achieve this highly desirable feat.

Bernhard Willhelm was born in Ulm, a city in Southern Germany in November of 1972. He received a Fashion Design Diploma with honors from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. He also studied under reputable designers such as Walter van Beirendonck, Alexander McQueen and Dirk Bikkembergs. He launched his first women’s collection right after his graduation, during the Paris Fashion Week in March of 1999. Bernhard Willhelm then added a men’s collection in October of 2000. Though he started his fashion career in Antwerp, he decided to move his  atelier to Paris. In 2002 he started a project with the Capucci Corporation for the label of Robert Capucci. This project featuring a women’s pret-a-porter line, named Bernhard Willhelm as the creative director. His creative and recognizable style has created a buzz throughout the fashion world, and his work is sold only in select stores worldwide.