se era se era ISSUE ONE
FROM THE EDITOR 2 0 1 7 ,the year of leading collaborations
from the likes of Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton to the phenomenal Versace and Andy Warhol. Yet for many years the most elite designers have been teaming up with artists, creating one off, exclusive collections which over time have caused the deterioration of boundaries between both industries. From this, forming the bond between art and fashion has led to some of the most innovative collections, generating the most cutting edge shows. In this issue we cover the most captivating collabs, which have collated inspiration from decades as early as the 1910’s all the way up until today. Focusing on the crème de la crème of artists such as Matisse, Banksy and Dali whose work still continues to influence us today. When Berlin based Christopher Chemin paired up with Prada for their AW16 collection, his words were “ fashion designers don’t really need artists to do great collections, and artists are not clothes enhancers”. Although many others would say that the opportunity to work alongside a high end fashion brand is an absolute dream, when it comes to making their name in such a difficult industry.
Moving forward to SS18, we look at Comme Des Garçons who combined both classical italian paintings, (taken from artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo) with a mix of japanese style graffiti, adding a real avante garde feel for next season. Throughout this issue not only do we look at the journey of art and design movements, but we touch upon the importance of collaborations today and the way they will affect the world of fashion in decades to come.
ISSUE ONE
Drawing is like making an expressive gesture with the advantage of p e r m a n e n c e
henry matisse
1910’s FAUVISM
based on ideologies linked to the unconscious mind and all things u n c o n v e n t i o n a l the surrealist movement started out in 1920, with arttists such as salvador dali being one of the most influential of the time. still to this day the w h i m s i c a l style of art continues to inspire the likes of stella mccartney, ports 1961 and a.w.a.k.e.
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FRIDA KAHLO 1930’s
ETRO PRE FALL 2017
kNOWN FOR HER SURREALISM AND PORTRAITURE., KAHLO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ARTISTS
TO
EXPLORE
IDENTITY,
GENDER
AND
RACE
WITHIN
THE
MEXICAN SOCIETY during the 1930’s. MANY DESIGNERS HAVE TAKEN INSPIRATION FROM HER
WORK,
BY
TRADITIONAL ETRO’S
PRE
INCORPORATING PATTERNS
FALL
2017
MEXICAN WITHIN
COLLECTION
GRAPHIC
IMAGERY
JEWELLERY TO
CREATE
‘
MORE
AND
DESIGNS.
FLORAL
FRIDA’
WAS
MIXING BOTH TRADITIONAL WITH
A
MOTIFS
THEIR
NAMED
A MODERN TAKE ON THE ARTISTS WORK, EMBELLISHED
INPIRED
UPDATED
MODERN INTERPRETATION.
JONATHAN COHEN SPRING 2018
RAF SIMONS FALL 2014
BALENCIAGA: ‘SHAPING FASHION’ EXHIBITION REVIEW Celebrating the finest work of the world renowned Cristobal Balenciaga, the current exhibition named ‘Shaping fashion’ at the V&A is one of the most astonishing compilations I’VE COME ACROSS YET.
Featuring a vast lineup of garments, designs and moving imagery from his most successful years, this rare collection is not one to miss. In addition to his own work, theres an extensive display of garments by contemporary fashion designers who have been strongly influenced by his artistry. From Coco Chanel to Come Des Garcons, its visible that Balenciaga’s unconventional approach to shaping the body has inspired and helped the industry to evolve over time. In the fine words of Hubert De Givenchy I don’t think even the Bible has taught me as much as Balenciaga.
Showing a blend of both old and new designs, the exhibition really does pay a lot of gratitude to the craftsmanship of Balenciaga over the years, honouring the 100th anniversary of the opening of his first salon. One element that particularly stood out to me was the inclusion of x-ray images, revealing the skeleton of the dress therefore allowing you to see how the garments were constructed.
the exhibition enables you a more in-depth understanding to exactly how his signature shapes/ figures were created. Exposing a silk evening dress from 1954, one x-ray image especially attracted my attention due to the amount of intricate details that had been put in place in order for the garment to hang in a distinct way. This kind of rare imagery not only allows the audience an insight on design, but it really captures the effort of production and quality of his work.
A lot of his work was actually unrecorded which makes it even more of an exclusive exhibition, the curator of this collection during an interview with Vogue described Cristobal as ‘a mystery,'due to the his lack of interviews and personal information found. Part of such an everlasting fashion legacy, the classic envelope, sack and tunic dress are all debuted in the V&A, showcasing the most timeless pieces from his lifetime.
ROY 1960’s LICHTENSTEIN
ANDY WARHOL
“I like to pretend that my art has nothing to do with me” ROY LICHTENSTEIN
“Art is what you can get away with”
ANDY WARHOL 1960’s
s
SS PETER
MAX
SUMMER OF LOVE SUMMER OF LOVE SUMMER OF LOVE
1970’s
SUMMER OF LOV
ER
1980’s
1990
ES I T E N I N
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Identified as one of the most influential and radical designers in history, McQueen is renowned for not only his exquisite quality of tailoring but for his electrifying perceptions of fashion on the runway. Crafting his career at the raw age of 16, he began working for a bespoke tailor in London which was the birth of creativity for young Alexander. Moving on to more theatrical work with costume designers ‘ Angels and Bermans’ , this was where his talent really transcended and a lot of his inspiration for later work was grasped from. A few years later, after a short period of time working in Milan, McQueen took on the decision to study fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London and graduated in 1992. After such success with his collections produced during his education, McQueen started up his own small design business and was soon to be recognised for his outstanding ability and off-the-wall imagination. Increasing recognition in the industry with his 90’s ‘bumsters’, it was apparent that this man certainly wasn’t afraid to push boundaries, revolutionising jeans way up until the early noughties. Continuing to astound the industry with innovative ideas, his ‘highland rape’ show was seen as one of the most controversial collections of the time, shocking critics whilst positively reinventing the idea of womenswear. Up until 2001 McQueen was allocated the role of Chief Designer at the French fashion house Givenchy, winning ‘British Designer Of The Year’ three times whilst
with the Brand. With his capability to really elevate fashion, he left Givenchy in 2001 in order to expand his creativity and went solo before Gucci saw opportunity to invest. McQueen once stated, ‘Fashion should be a form of escapism, and not a form of imprisonment’, and the chance to branch out alone certainly gave him such freedom. Soon after he was the creator of the most theatrical, fantasy driven shows, breaking down the barriers between art and fashion. Also the investment from Gucci enabled him to express his vision for all things design, and from that point there was no limit on how extravagant his shows could be. As part of McQueen’s brand identity, he touched upon the taboo subject of death and somehow transformed it into a vision of otherworldly romance. Using his work as a form of story telling, his collections had a strong sense of mystery and symbolism to them, through the contrast of natural elements against a dark colour palette. His repetition of skulls in his work was quickly recognised and to this day is one of the most iconic images for Mcqueen’s brand. As his status in the industry grew, his attitude to life always remained very down to earth once stating in an interview, “Some of the most brilliant artists in the world didn’t talk posh and didn’t fit in. But a Van Gogh goes for £30m now. It comes down to what’s inside.” In 2003 McQueen was Awarded with a CBE for his astonishing services in the industry, however during an interview with Vogue in 2010 he expressed, ”When people recognise and respect what you do, that’s nice, but I don’t think you ever do this to be famous. Fame should be left to the film stars. We’re just offering a service.”
2000’s
2010’s 2010’s
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