For too long, the so called ‘high-end’ fashion designers have maintained that fashion is a product of a singular creative vision where the labour of making is often hidden. In an attempt to shift this perception, Performative Processes aims to highlight the collaborative nature of fashion by making the production visible in open workshops and by creating a space where dialogue can emerge around sharing of skills, knowledge and creativity. As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Aïcha Abbadi collected some of the most exciting examples at the forefront of this participatory approach to fashion …read more
Awards granted for ‘young designers’, mentorship schemes and sponsorships intended to kick start the careers of budding designers are increasingly being questioned in light of recent scandals but also for their elitist and often insincere nature that now seem incredibly dated in the face of the changing fashion industry. But in what way can young entrepreneurs and creatives be supported? As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Aïcha Abbadi explores the ethos behind the ‘New Mentorship’ and some of the innovative examples that best capture this …read more
Braided hair decorated with ribbons and flowers, supple fringed shawls atop colourful embroidered blouses, generous A-lined skirts with ruffled hems… The look of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, often inspired by traditional Mexican dress, is recognisable around the world. A new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, on display until November 4th, explores the complexity of Kahlo and her elaborate outfits …read more
Split across three venues of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Costume Institute’s spring 2018 exhibition examines fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism by juxtaposing pieces of clothing and fashion looks with religious artefacts. Address contributor Kate Sekules visited the exhibition …read more
Fashioned from Nature attempts to address the aesthetic and material relationship fashion has with nature whilst exploring broader concepts such as ethical consumption, textile innovation and design thinking in creating a sustainable future between the two. Natalia Romagosa visited the display in London …read more
Caryn Franklin (MBE) is a disruptive fashion lover. In an industry stereotyped by dramatic, Prada bag-wielding divas and sad-looking models, Caryn’s fierce optimism and good-natured spirit shows that sassy attitudes are not only uncool, but unhealthy too. As the former fashion editor of i-D during the ‘80s, she has since focused on identity politics and the power of fashion to create positive narratives about individuality. In this fifth instalment for Fashion Unlearned, Address contributor Emily McGuire spoke with Caryn to discuss sustainability in her own terms – mental health in fashion …read more
New creative clusters are emerging in countries commonly associated with mass-manufacturing and lower end garment production. Using traditional craft techniques, local know-how and cultural heritage accompanied often with ethically progressive business models, these new ‘Archivist-Creators’ are redefining the label ‘made in’ associate with the country of their origin. As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Aïcha Abbadi investigates the drive behind this reclaiming of design tradition and selects the best-practice examples to illustrate this …read more
Fashion continues its flirtation with art. Young and up-and-coming brands particularly are occupying galleries, often exhibiting things far removed from the body. Is it that creatives feel the need to and are expected to master multiple disciplines or just an evolution of fashion communication utilised by fashion brands? Address contributor Abi Buller considers this, following her visit to fashion designer Charles Jeffrey exhibition at London’s NOW Gallery …read more
Body, one of the central elements in fashion, has always been a site of fascination and intrigue but also controversy and debate. In order to continue this deeply rooted dialogue that manifests in imagery, Shonagh Marshall and Holly Hay co-curated a photography exhibition titled Posturing: Photographing the Body in Fashion that was on display at 10 Thurloe Place in London earlier this November. Abi Buller visited the exhibition for Address …read more
New York based design laboratory Ab[Screenwear] attempts to extend the dialogue between technology, body and garments. Recently, the fashion label took over a gallery space to display their wears in an installation-cum-fashion-retail set up. Alexis Romano went to see the presentation titled Get a Room at the Postmasters Gallery in New York …read more
New alternatives are challenging the often dated, uncritical and merely promotional purpose of fashion media by widening the discourses and representations around fashion. As part of the on-going ‘Fashion from the Shadows’ series, Address contributor Aïcha Abbadi selects the most interesting examples of alternative fashion media around at the moment …read more
In 1944, New York’s Museum of Modern Art staged its first and up until recently, the only exhibition dedicated to the things we wear on our bodies titled Are Clothes Modern? Responding to this seminal exhibition, curated by writer and architect Bernard Rudofsky, MoMA’s Architecture and Design Curator Paola Antonelli has staged a show titled Item: Is Fashion Modern? After visiting the exhibition, Address contributor Kate Sekules asks: is this a modern exhibition, and is it about fashion? …read more