Item 2016.230 - Bernhard Willhelm Brick Print Flak Jacket

Invisible Men exhibition label:

BODY ARMOUR VEST
Bernhard Willhelm
2004

Known for his eclectic mix of inspirations, Wilhelm’s Autumn Winter 2004 collection featured references to American football players, riots and urban camouflage. This vest is a replica of a military armoured garment which has been printed with a subdued external brick pattern and a more vibrant and garish brick design inside.

Cotton
Archive no. 2016.230

From Inside the Westminster Menswear Archive:

BRICK PRINT FLAK JACKET
Bernhard Willhelm
Autumn Winter 2004
This vest is a replica of a military flak jacket but has been printed with a subdued brick pattern on the outside and a more vibrant brick pattern on the inside, as camouflage in different urban environments. The jacket fastens using two large square Velcro patches on the lower sides and left shoulder, and there is a bellows pocket on the lower front of the jacket. The jacket’s sleeves are attached with poppers, and each sleeve head has an internal pocket; the cuffs are adjustable with Velcro tabs. There are two large, zipped openings on the inside of the garment’s lower edge, as well as two zipped openings around the neck. A small internal label inside reads WiJ ZiJN GEK, which translates from the Dutch as ‘We are crazy’.
Cotton
Archive no. 2016.230