The great debate over whether graffiti is really art has raged for many years, and most of us have an opinion about it. We think of paintings and drawings as art, but what about different media? How is art defined, and what about design? If art gets people talking about something and is intended to give each person a different message or experience and design should give everyone the same, perhaps it’s time to be relabeling fashion designers as artists, too.
Look at the runways of any great Fashion Week, and you’ll wonder if you are in a museum of contemporary art these days. It seems that not all art is meant to be framed and put on a wall; there are masterpieces you can wear, too.
Hussein Chalayan
One of the first names to come to mind arguing that fashion is also an art form is Hussein Chalayan. He is anything but boring, and his clothes are unlike anything you will have seen before thanks to Chalayan’s willingness to challenge proportion and use technology. This is the man who gave us water-soluble designs for Spring 2016!
Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh’s garments are always dramatic, but they are also incredibly detailed. If a love of monochromatic schemes and exaggerated silhouettes defines an artist, Pugh is guilty as charged.
Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton is now at the helm at the iconic Alexander McQueen house, and she continues to create spectacular looks that use unexpected materials and stunning craftsmanship to produce beautiful results time after time.
Iris van Herpen
Iris van Herpen is another designer who uses exquisite craftsmanship and combines it with the very latest cutting-edge technology to produce unfailingly expressive pieces that will always turn heads. She always packs in huge amounts of detail, too.
Whether it’s striking dresses from the likes of fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto or bronze animal sculpturers such as http://www.gillparker.com/, there is no doubting the range of talent out there. For more information on all the Arts in the UK, visit the Arts Council website.
Perhaps the difference comes down to ready-to-wear or haute couture, which will push boundaries year after year. We’ve come to expect the unexpected. Ultimately, art in whatever form is a very personal subject, and it’s better that way.