LECTURE 6- FASHION & ARCHITECTURE

WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN FASHION & ARCHITECTURE? The link between fashion and architecture has never been as strong as it is today, these both have a major link between them. Fashion is not only for fashion designers and architecture is not only for architects, these two worlds are very closely linked as they can help support one another.

Architecture and fashion help create feelings and character, the use of interior design is usually based upon the branding of a designer and how they want to reflect their brand. Architects are inspired by methods which can be seen in fashion, such as:

• Pleating
• Printing
• Folding
• Draping
• Wearing

However fashion designer can also take inspiration from architects and how they build, recreate or engineer their idea of structure. Strong examples of fashion designers who use architecture in the designs are people such as Careth Pugh and Hussein Chalayan, he says that he has more in common with architects rather than fashion designers.

HUSSEIN CHALAYAN

Chalayan uses art and architecture to create questionable fashion, he links these two by creating fashion which can be seen as a miniature piece of architecture, his collections create a sense of being inhabited rather that being worn.

Through the use of technology and the use of space, his garments interact with the person wearing it, enclosing them within the space. He uses a range of materials which are commonly found in architecture such as plastic, electrical wire and his most famous one being wood, for example his ‘table skirt’.  The Table skirt is a transformable coffee table which then turns into a wooden skirt, this is made out of wood which is a unusual material to use within fashion, however it is becoming more popular in fashion.

TABLE SKIRT

As well as the Table skirt, Hussein Chalayan designed a set of portable furniture, this included 4 chairs that transformed into dresses of even suitcases, and the whole catwalk was turned into a living scene by the models wearing the furniture.

CHAIR TRANSFORMATION

HUSSEIN CHALAYAN- After Words Autumn/Winter 2000 Womenswear Collection (2000) – ACCESSED 9TH NOV 2015

ZEITGEIST

• Zeitgeist means ‘the spirit of the time’, it is the definition of a mood within a certain period of history.

GENIUS LOCI

• Genius Loci means ‘the spirit of a place’, it is a protective spirit and is found throughout many Western Roman empires.

COLLABORATIONS

Lots of fashion designers collaborate with architects to come up with a concept which will meet the demands of their brand, for example Hermès and Faye Toogood teamed up to design an installation on Bond Street, London. Hermès went to Toogood and asked her to create an instillation, which will represent the brand and their series of products that used the offcuts and rejected stock. Toogood designed an instillation which consisted of red spaces, these were influenced by a Hermès bag which had been seen whilst visiting the brands studio.

 

The piece that caught my eye was a leather off-cut of a signature Hermès bag pattern,” said Faye Toogood.

The hide was a skeleton of the negative shapes left after the pattern cutters had cut the intricate shapes. It was so inspiring to see a person working within such an established house, finding beauty in the unexpected.”

The instillation had the effect of blood dripping from the displays, with the garnets hanging from meat hooks, the use of the blood red came from Hermès previous branding, this helped tie in all the aspects of the fashion brand. The dripping resin created the effect of blood pouring out the display units and the meat hood look as if they have been smeared with dried up blood. To create the whole atmosphere staff were to wear aprons, gloves and hats which were all made from scrap Hermès leather accessories and scarves, this all matched the red interior. As for the shop window displays, these consisted of neon lights which symbolized the shape of tools which are used to create the brands products, these are set against a red curtain to enhance the idea of blood.

This installation helps show the link between fashion and architecture/ Interior design, fashion designers very often go to architects for their help when it comes to designing a space for their designs, these can help express their brand and how they want people to see they designs. More examples of collaborations are:

• Valentino & David Chipperfield

• Armani & Claudio Silvestrin

• Acne Studios & Sophie Hicks

HOW SOCIETY INFLUENCES FASHION & ARCHITECTURE?

The relationship between architecture and fashion began years ago when materials for clothing were also used for architecture or vice versa. Society can heavily influence fashion as well as architecture, after World War II ended the fashion became dull and expressed the darkness of this time within society. Architecture changes too, Hitler’s building became dark and strict, indicating his power. This connects with the uniform which was also dark in colour and showed his power within the society.

CONCLUSION

Fashion = Architecture

Architecture = Fashion

Architecture can be a response to zeitgeist

Architecture can generate a Genius Loci

Acceleration of culture V’s slowness of architecture

RESOURCES:

• http://chalayan.com ACCESSED 9/11/2015
• http://www.dezeen.com/2013/11/27/studio-toogood-creates-a-slaughterhouse-installation-for-hermes/ ACCESSED 9/11/5015