In the previous three parts I went in chronological order and mapped across the twentieth and the twenty first century how some of the greatest artists came together with the world’s finest designers to create garments that belonged both in a museum and on the runway. In this article, I again take a deep dive into the world of art and fashion to find even more sublime intersections where art and fashion have collided to create magic.
Rei Kawakubo x Merce Cunningham:
Rei Kawakubo is the legendary creative director of Comme des Garçons and has always been known for her concept-driven approach to design. In particular she was always quite interested in creating designs that blurred the lines between fashion and art. Her ground breaking ‘Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body’ Summer/Spring collection in 1997 was inspired by legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham, the American dancer most notable for pioneering the modern dance movement. The garments of this collection were notable for their colour and movement. In many ways this collection reimagined the idea of a body and how contemporary dance can rethink fashion in such stunning ways.
Prada x Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset:
This piece of performance and architecture art is set against the stunning scenery of the Texas desert. This site-specific installation was the brainchild of Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset and their ironic take on luxury shopping. The installation is a nod to the design of Prada stores that you find in the most elegant and upscale neighbourhoods around the world. The installation, succinctly titled ‘Prada Marfa’, displays the brand’s Spring/Summer 2005 collection. It is perhaps one of the most unique collaborations on our list because it is a unique amalgamation of art, fashion design and architecture. Ever since its creation, the piece has become a site of cultural pilgrimage for art lovers.
Dior x Andy Warhol:
Raf Simons and the design team at Dior took Andy Warhol’s early shoe drawings, and with the permission of the Warhol Foundation, used them to decorate the Dior bags from the 2013 Spring/Summer collection. Dior is known for its fabulous collaborations with artists and here too the coming together of Warhol’s beautiful sketches, made for Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1950s, on an elegant bag elevated the collection to everyone’s delight. The standout piece was the Butterfly Shoe illustration hand-bag and clutch.
Prada x Christophe Chemin:
Berlin based artist and polymath, Christopher Chemin, might have been an unconventional choice for a collaboration with the fashion design house Prada, but it was Chemin’s propensity to create art that was unguarded yet flashy with its roots in history that made this collection delectable and something that would be referenced in years to come. Some of the most well received pieces were the “Impossible True Love” a button-up shirt inspired by Critoforo de Predis’s 1476 painting Morte del Sole, della Luna, e caduta delle stelle; “The Important Ones” a button-up shirt which depicts a clash between Gods, scholars, Nina Simone, Che Guevara and more; and the “Survival Utopia” a patchwork top citing a medieval tapestry and the PlayStation game ARK: Survival Evolved.
Akris x Alexander Girard:
Designer Albert Kriemler of Akris is a well-known collector and a scholar and each season he selects an artist whose work he adapts as prints and/or fabrics for the clothing he makes. In 2017 Kriemler chose Alexander Girard, the American architect and interior, furniture, and textile designer who turned to folk art late in life. Kriemler used ball point sketches made by Girard as prints which he then turned into ready to wear garments for women. One can observe that Kriemler treats his garments like canvases from how he adapted Girard’s almost sparse sketches into minimal well cut garments offering his viewer a sense of functionality.
Coach x Keith Haring:
Late artist Keith Haring was interested in bringing art to the working class. Finding his inspiration in graffiti and street art, he constantly navigated and questioned the boundaries between high and low art in both his personal and commercial work. He even opened his own store in New York’s Soho neighbourhood where he sold T-shirts, toys, posters, buttons and magnets with his work on them in order to diversify his audience. The luxury brand Coach then decided to take his legacy further and launched their line of bags which featured Haring’s work in the form of appliques and prints resulting in a one of its kind collection.
Marc Jacobs x Julie Verhoeven:
Julie Verhoeven is a British artist and illustrator known for her whimsical designs which are heavy with pop culture references. Collaborating with Marc Jacobs for the second time for Bergadof ‘s Spring 2017 collection, Verhoeven created modern imagery which was almost cartoonish in nature and was often used in landscape patch-work which she followed across all product categories. The highly acclaimed collection stayed true to both Jacobs and Verhoeven’s aesthetics and blended the two sensibilities intricately.
