Is fashion art? Certain types of art can be in fashion, but is the reverse also true? These are just a couple of questions that swirl between the fashion and art worlds.
Designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren decided to further the conversation with a recent couture collection for their Viktor & Rolf label. Canvases collapsed into multi-dimensional designs that were worn by the models on the runway. By the end of the show, these sculptural pieces adorned the walls of the gallery.
The fabric of the skirts and gowns acted as the canvas for painterly interpretations of fine art. Instead of trims and standard stitched edges, the designs were trimmed in structural materials to serve as the frames of the art work.
Not only artistic in their designs, Viktor and Rolf also produced the runway show as a type of performance art. They displayed the stages of putting on the piece and then removing it to hang on a gallery wall, which questions the point at which the fashion can become art.
Is it more valuable as a garment on a couture runway, or does it only gain artistic value once it hangs on a wall in the museum?
It's an interesting notion of not only how we treat fashion, but also how we view fine art. The collection certainly serves as a conversation starter for these thoughts and questions, but the answers remain to be seen.
