Clothing from unconventional materials
Every now and again one comes across interesting competitions aimed at promoting innovation in fashion, be it recycling, up cycling, sustainability, or the use of novel construction methods or materials.
Increasingly, established designers are also exploring the use of alternatives to fabric, or combining surprising elements with fabric in order to create something “different”.
Concrete/cement seems to be quite fashionable. At Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld used concrete cubes in his Haute Couture collection for Fall 2014, while Tracy Reese had already placed cement appliques on leather in 2009.
Ivanka Studio and Concrete Works in Budapest, Hungary, offer concrete couture, exclusive experimental wearable designs which can be viewed on their website.
Brazilian Luana Jardim, normally known for creating shoes, sent a spectacular range of dresses made from iron down the runway during Rio de Janeiro Spring/Summer Fashion Week 2009.
Japanese balloon artist Rie Hosokai and talented art director/designer Takashi Kawada use hundreds of twisted balloons to fashion wearable garments, and Li Xiaofeng has made a dress from several pieces of blue and white porcelain from the Ming and Qing Dynasty sewn together using silver thread.
And whilst on the topic of knitting, Ivano Vitali is an Italian ecologist, sculptor and performer who strives to create what he calls Impact Zero art. He has taken this one step further to Zero-Waste fashion, by recycling newsprint into balls of ‘yarn’ with which he knits clothing. A translation of his beautiful website in which he explains his rationale can be found at http://www.artnest.eu/casina/casina.html .
But perhaps honour of having created the ‘greenest’ dress of all, from the most original material, most go to Jean-Paul Gaultier in collaboration with ecological artist Patrick Blanc, for this number from Gaultier’s Spring/Summer 2002 collection
Sources
http://chuisloveletters.com/2014/07/13/chanel-fall-2014-haute-couture/
http://fashion.about.com/od/fashionshows/ig/Tracy-Reese.-T1x/Cement-Applique–Leather-Skirt.htm
http://www.stylescoop.co.za/2012/11/28/suzaan-heyns/
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ivanka-studio
http://www.besttopnews.com/photo/report/irondress-508/3
http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2010/10/14/12-stylish-and-unique-dresses/
http://oddstuffmagazine.com/creative-but-weird-dresses-made-out-of-waste-and-other-alternates.html
http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2013/07/12/balloon-dresses/
http://www.dezeen.com/2007/11/12/in-no-time-by-sandra-backlund/
https://www.pinterest.com/pinnify/artist-ivano-vitali/
http://unterberger.servus.at/research/blanc