It's the last day of London Fashion Week and we have been thinking about the art of fashion.
We can get swept up in all the glamour of the event itself, but the part that interests me is the creative process;
inspiration - design - creation.
This process is the same in any creative practice be it painting, sculpting, dance, music or textiles. The arts are all connected and having spoken to MANY artists in my time, it's wonderful to find so many overlaps. Each art form inspiring another and so on. Fashion still has many boundaries to push, so many cultural and societal restrictions. Fashion is not only the creation of art, but also the total participation for the audience. The purchaser is not only buying and owning the art - but physically wearing it, participating in it, sharing the vision of the creator. I have often thought about the personal joy that must bring to the designer to see people wearing their creations. This is something truly unique to this art form. Yes it most definitely is an art!
Clicking through the pages shows on the London Fashion Week website, i am always in awe of how many talented designers there are out there, it's a constant amazement how many unique ideas come through every year.
I was inspired to see that local Gloucestershire based artist Swarez and fashion designer Adnan Bayyat had teamed up to create an inspiring collection literally cut from the artist's canvas!
This stunning collaboration is a raw example two different practices coming together through this vibrant couture collection.
Byayyat, from Manchester is a unique avant-garde & couture designer who's artistic creations have "adored the stars of the stage and dazzled audiences on an international scale." Most notably - an incredible dress created from 50,000 meters of reclaimed cling film worn by Lady Gaga to the international launch of her Madame Tussaud's waxwork.
Swarez and Adnan have collaborated together with Swarez creating 2 massive tartan canvasses which Adnan has turned into incredibly beautiful dresses.
The collection is based on English and French gentry of a bygone era when elegance and refined splendour were the bywords of the day.
Swarez said “Adnan and I met at a festival of art couture where we were both judges and instantly hit it off. I created the paintings on canvas in the same way I would approach any commission, with Adnan as my client; he’s utterly blown me away with what he’s created – the dresses are stunning and I am so proud to be part of his collection at London Fashion Week”
Read more about it "Art goes couture"
Adnan Bayyat also created an incredible dress made from 40,000 paper clips that was displayed at Art Couture Painswick Gallery in Painswick. This sculpture-meets-fashion construction is just one example of some of the awesome ways that art is sewn into the fabric as well as the design.
- Caroline Priestley - "Viral Attack"
One of the this years winners of Art Couture Painswick festival made this incredible piece called "Viral Attack", Caroline Priestley from Stroud, Gloucestershire, who came 2nd in the Independent Designers category, created this bold design that was judged by Adnan and Swarez.
Artists and designers have always been intertwined. Another awesome example of artist and designer collaboration is with Louis Vuitton in 2012 with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Art so delicious, whacky and wonderful we just want to wear it!
So the question i have is;
Where does art finish and fashion begin?
Thanks to art-fashion ambassadors like Lady Gaga and the late Isabella Blow, the lines are not so much blurred but scribbled on and used to adorn the person! Fashion is a way of communication, it can tell the world who you are, what religion you are, what you feel about yourself, how confident or creative you are. Sometimes it can tell us what music you like or what hobbies you have. Fashion can also be used as a tool to change how you feel, perhaps boost your confidence. I believe that art is about expression and communication and what does that as affectively as fashion?! Fashion is art.
Explore the world of textiles with one of our workshops
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