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Art and fashion are two powerful expression forms that are deeply rootedin the cultural life of society. While fashion relates to utility and style, art to aesthetics and the mind, the two fields go hand in hand. Fashion and art shifted over time to influence not just how we dressed, but also perceptions of beauty, self-identity and cultural conformity.

In this post, I talk about whether fashion is an art, how art inspires fashion, what are examples of fashion and art colliding, how fashion and art changed through the years, and the best collaborstaions between two.

Fashion as Art

Fashion is much more than clothes or trends. It is an active and ever-changing art that echoes its cultural, social and political times. Fashion designers tend to think about it as if they are visual artists: making objects that do more than serve their intended use: they make you feel, challenge perceptions, and convey deeper meanings.

High fashion, or haute couture in particular, is the place where this synthesis of art and utility is most evident. Fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Vivienne Westwood have used the runway to perform. Their designs are often an ambiguity between fashion and art, drawing on experimental techniques, elaborate design and outlandish ideas. McQueen’s collections, for instance, frequently reflected on nature, technology and the human condition, elevating fashion as narrative far beyond clothing. Furthermore, fashion design itself is similar to sculpture – material is shaped and stretched into something completely new and sometimes revolutionary. Fashion is the construction of unconventional material, the construction of structure and form, the transformation of the body through clothing are all components of fashion that align it with the visual art.

Fashion Inspired by Art

The impact of conventional visual art on fashion is enormous and lasting. Designers have always derived their style from iconic art, trends and styles. The Renaissance, for example, has been forever imprinted on contemporary fashion, its lavish fabrics, patterns and elaborate silhouettes sweeping across the runway season after season. Designers such as Dolce & Gabbana have used classical art influences, while Jean Paul Gaultier and Balenciaga have turned to surrealism for inspiration.

The Impressionists’ fashion is one of the most vivid instances of fashion influenced by art. Yves Saint Laurent and other designers borrowed a lot from the Impressionists like Monet and Degas, who instilled their processes and colors in their collections. The blurred lines and fluidity of impressionistic art translated beautifully into clothing, creating garments that were as fluid as the paintings themselves.

Modern designers take their cues from art history. The work of pop artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, for example, has inspired lines that feature loud graphic prints and bright colours. The abstract paintings of Piet Mondrian with his geometric and minimal shapes have made their way onto the catwalk.

Greatest Art and Fashion Collaborations

Over the years, the worlds of fashion and art have collaborated in a number of memorable collaborations that make an art of the cross-over. They often result in exclusive capsule collections, shows and memorable works that resonate with both industries. The most famous was an alliance between the Italian company Louis Vuitton and the American artist Jeff Koons. In 2017, Koons’s recreated works by Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh and Monet to appeare on Louis Vuitton bags, scarves and accessories – and brought fashion and art together in a fresh and exciting way.

Another iconic partnership was between Versace and Andy Warhol. In 2014, Versace released a line based on Warhol’s pop-art Marilyn Monroe portraits, translating the images into prints and patterns on clothing and accessories. The set was an acknowledgement of Warhol’s fashion, and his power to turn everyday objects into art. Most recently, Balenciaga has collaborated with new artists to look at the boundaries of art and fashion. Their most memorable moment was working with the artist Kanye West, merging streetwear and avant-garde, and putting together pieces that fell somewhere between fashion, art and music. The fashion house has continued to collaborate with artists, and is now one of the most dominant fashion houses in blending art and fashion.

Fashion in Art History

Fashion and art have a long history with one another, crossing centuries of connections. Artists have long used fashion to orient their subjects through their work. The paintings of artists Peter Paul Rubens, Frida Kahlo and Gustav Klimt frequently brought the trends of the day to light — from wedding gowns to casual wear. They also provide us with images of the past in fashion, and an art that preserves the garments as markers of elegance, position and selfhood. In the 20th century, fashion’s association with art grew even deeper. The advent of modernist movements like Dadaism, Futurism and Surrealism in the early 20th century opened up the opportunity for designers to try new concepts and materials. The surrealist paintings of Salvador Dali, for instance, made a profound impression on fashion designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli, who brought surrealism to her collections (eg, the ‘lobster dress’ named after Dali). That connection became even more intense when the artists began experimenting with wearable art like the Body Art movement that used the body as a canvas.

In the 1960s, we find the phenomenon of “pop art”, in which vivid colours, geometric patterns and commercial imagery became the focus of visual art and fashion. Designers such as Pierre Cardin and Jean-Paul Gaultier put these visions into practice, designing collections that broke the line between fine art and fashion.

Conclusion

Art and fashion are both constantly in conversation with each other, drawing inspiration from and influencing one another in ways that continue to inform our cultural lives. Fashion is art, not only as a genre, but because art has in many ways helped to shape fashion, and in many cases collaborated with fashion. As we are looking into the 21st century, fashion’s connection to art only grows stronger with new collaborations, styles and movements popping up regularly. As the world never sleeps, fashion is always the canvas of art, and art is always the canvas of fashion. And the two remain ever present and intertwined, giving us a way of communicating, of identifying with beauty, of being immersed in the world.