Art and fashion: what happens when two creative worlds meet?

Jgsprayart®, Mona La D., 2020. Acrylic/spray paint/marker on canvas, 60 x 40 cm.

What happens when fashion meets art?

In today's world, the fashion industry continues to be strongly inspired by the history of art, making clear reference to the work of the greatest masters of all time or, on other occasions, concretely involving the names of important contemporary artists. This association, which generates garments with iconic shapes, subjects and colors, should not surprise us, since it was born from the contamination of two similar essences, since fashion, at certain levels, is literally art to wear. But what is the goal of designers who are inspired, and have been inspired, by the world of art? The intent pursued is certainly to create garments that are true masterpieces, destined to become emblems of a design to be worn every day. 

Helen She, David Fendi, 2021. Acrylic / marker / tempera / collage on linen canvas, 100 x 80 cm.

Who were the pioneers of the association between art and fashion?

The association between art and fashion, born during the twentieth century, has been expressed in various ways, in fact, we find collections of clothes made by great masters, precious collaborations between artists and stylists and important designers who were inspired by timeless masterpieces. These different approaches have given rise to wearable clothing and, sometimes, even to real art objects, manifestations of a social and anthropological interest. With regard to the great artists, who also took on the role of designer, it is important to mention the futurist Giacomo Balla who, in 1914, signed the Manifesto of the Futurist Men's Dress, in which the Transformable dress was theorized, that is, a dress that can be modified through the application of fabrics of different shapes and colors. Balla's dress, closely related to the concepts of futurism, pursued the purpose of not wanting to statically stifle the body, but give movement to the human form, through geometric subjects, which were the expression of fast lines, broken, imaginative designs and angular cuts with phosphorescent and vivid colors. It was through this investigation that the idea that clothes could be considered real works of art, like paintings and sculptures, began to take hold. 

The iconic Lobster Dress, result of the Dali/Schiapparelli collaboration @322couture

As for the collaboration between artists and designers, around the 1940s, the alliance between the famous Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiapparelli and the undisputed master of Surrealism Salvador Dali was iconic. This collaboration generated numerous garments, such as black suits with pockets trimmed with female mouths, handbags with the features of a telephone, shoe-shaped hats and evening gowns decorated with huge lobsters. The latter, the Lobster Dress of 1937, was inspired by the iconic Lobster Telephone, a surrealist object created in 1936 by the Spanish master, which, thanks to the encounter with the extravagant couturier, found a new space in the world of fashion.

The Yves Saint Laurent Mondrian Fall collection with the famous painting by the Dutch master @agnes_renoult_communication

Regarding designers who have been inspired by the great masterpieces of art history, it is impossible not to refer to the production of Yves Saint Laurent, legendary French fashion designer, who enjoyed one of his most important successes when, in 1965, he presented his Mondrian Fall collection, inspired by the famous painting of the Dutch master Composition with Red and Blue (1933). This referential creation broke new ground for the future role of art in fashion, whose peculiarities are still present today, as demonstrated by: the collection of accessories made by Jeff Koons for Louis Vuitton (2017), inspired by masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Rubens, Titian, and Van Gogh, the dresses of Dolce & Gabbana's fashion show (2018), making clear reference to Italian Renaissance paintings, and the clothes that take up Andy Warhol's Pop art by Versace (2018).

Tony Rubino, Louis Vuitton Muhammad Ali, 2021. Acrylic / Lithograph on canvas, 45.7 x 49.5 cm.

Alessandro Piano, Alter ego gold 55, 2020. Digital painting on plastic, 70 x 50 cm.

What happens when art meets fashion?

Until now, only the way in which the fashion world has welcomed and acquired timeless artists and masterpieces into its fold has been highlighted. In reality, however, these two worlds have influenced each other, as evidenced by the latest trends in contemporary art, where explicit reference is often made to iconic logos and patterns in the world of clothing. What we said is highly verifiable in the work of the artists of Artmajeur, who, in a sort of "luxury Pop art", have combined established and even more innovative artistic styles with the most famous fashion brands. Examples of this artistic production can be found in the works of Stan, Kriminal and Flavien Mandon.

Stan, Chanel’s lovers, 2021. Acrylic / marker on canvas, 130 x 97 cm.

Stan: Chanel’s lovers

Within a sleek, subtle and minimalist black frame, Stan's painting celebrates the iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle, one of the most popular and coming-of-age consumer products in history. But how is the fusion of art and fashion expressed in Chanel's lovers? The famous bottle, immortalized in its most classic design, houses a romantic love scene inside, which, created in a monochrome cartoon style, has been painted in the chromatic tones of the popular liquid. Finally, from a purely stylistic point of view, the work appears as a modern, original and innovative interpretation of Pop art, where mass consumer products have been replaced by the most iconic elite goods.

Kriminal, Diorgang, 2021. Digital painting, 80 x 60 cm.

Kriminal: Diorgang

Kriminal's digital painting highlights another aspect of the world of fashion, or rather its popularity within the context of urban culture, where, together with the cult of Hip Hop and the more recent Trap, the most typical expressions of street art, such as tags and graffiti, proliferate. In the case of Diorgang, it is the iconic name of Christian Dior that becomes the subject of a graffiti, which, created in the center of the canvas, is multiplied along the entire surface of the support, through small serial tags. In conclusion, Kriminal's original interpretation innovatively highlights the link between two worlds: that of luxury goods and that of street culture.

Flavien Mandon, Chanel gass, 2021. Glass sculpture / airbrush / spray paint / plastic, 20 x 25 x 7.5 cm / 0.45 kg.

Flavien Mandon: Chanel glass

The minimalist, two-tone sculpture, made of glass by Mandon, is intended as a sort of celebration of the French fashion house Chanel, as it simply depicts the brand's logo, which is accompanied by the full name of the trademark. Therefore, the intent of the work is perhaps precisely to highlight the strength that, within the consumer society, have assumed these famous fashion houses, which have become a symbol par excellence of an enviable lifestyle and elegance, the highest aspiration of the masses.