Have you ever wondered why fashion designers sometimes create crazy items and incomprehensible shows? Runways covered in dirt, pigeon costumes, shoes that are just impossible to wear… Is it just weird for the sake of being weird or are there any hidden messages that we can’t read? Most of the time, it’s the latter: crazy stunts are symbolic and purposeful. Let’s get into it today. Keep scrolling!
Oftentimes designers ridicule consumerism and widely accepted fashion rules. They express their position on certain topics and situations through fashion.
Franco Moschino, the founder of Moschino, was a pioneer of ironic ugly fashion. His fashion shows were a satire. He even managed to sell his criticism of the fashion world to the fashion world itself.
Some fashion shows today aim to entertain and provoke emotions. And for that reason, designers strive to create memes. They try to make outfits and items that are guaranteed to go viral and become popular memes thus drawing attention to the brand.
And desire to become a meme applies to celebrity appearances also – stars and influencers ask to be dressed funny instead of beautiful. Enter Astro Boy Boots by MSCHF, furry four-toe boots by Avavav, and many more.
The main goal of all this weirdness is to draw attention and that’s why this goal goes alongside the other ones we talk about in this digest.
For example, a brand creates a wild-looking item that sells for crazy money. Everyone talks about this nonsense… and buys the other products by this brand at the same time. That’s what happened with destroyed and dirty trainers by Balenciaga – they proved to boost sales of the brand’s main collections.
Fashion as art is another thing. Sometimes you’re not supposed to solve the riddle – and just enjoy what you see instead, perceiving an item as an art object. This is what JW Anderson does for Loewe.
Many fashion designers were once architects and shape experiments were not left behind in the 1960s when Paco Rabanne played with unconventional materials. Shape works are popular today, too. For example, Viktor&Rolf doesn’t create memes only – their main schtick is an interesting approach to shape and construction.
Many controversial shows and products were created with the goal of fighting against beauty standards and stereotypes. The biggest global trend today is inclusivity. The good old beauty concepts are being pushed aside and forcefully replaced with anti-beauty – not necessarily ugly, but unusual for the fashion scene. The runway tries to be a place for everyone.
As you can see, weird is not so weird anymore. The more unusual something looks, the better it delivers the message. It doesn’t mean that everyone needs to become freaks all of a sudden – just don’t be afraid to broaden your fashion horizons and maybe use some tricks time after time.
Experimenting with sewing patterns from the Vikisews would be a start! Grab them in the «Patterns» section.
Read more about fashion shows here:
Just like Barbie — Margot Robbie’s promo campaign outfits
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