FASHION AFTER FASHION

Dr. Hazel Clark and Ilari laamanen

Eckhaus Latta and Alexa Karolinski, ensæmble, Lucy Jones, Ryohei Kawanishi, Henrik Vibskov, SSAW Magazine

In 2015, fashion trend forecaster and authority Li Edelkoort declared “the end of Fashion as we know it,” and in her “manifesto for the next decade” provided “ten reasons why the fashion system is obsolete.” In doing so, she echoed a sentiment shared by fashion industry insiders, journalists, pundits, and scholars alike—from reporter Teri Agins, author of the 2000 book The End of Fashion, to fashion theorist Barbara Vinken, who coined the term “postfashion” to describe the contemporary zeitgeist. As the world of fashion continues to evolve, the term “fashion” itself demands redefinition. fashion after Fashion takes up this call, seeking a new understanding of fashion that accommodates a wider range of practices and ideologies.

The exhibition presents the work of six designer teams who are thinking—and making us think—about fashion anew. Featuring some of the most innovative work being produced in the context of contemporary fashion, fashion after Fashion focuses on commissioned, site-sensitive installations to offer an experience that is as immersive and affective as it is mentally stimulating. It presents fashion as an expanded field of practice that is determined by concept and context, and whose practitioners work collaboratively and creatively between and across areas of design and art.

The exhibition’s use of “fashion” (in the lowercase) signals a more reflective, concerned, attentive, creative process that is not determined solely by commerce, the market, and trends. Independently and collectively, the practitioners included in fashion after Fashion call into question the state and nature of Fashion (in the uppercase) and challenge some of its main constructs, including the myth of the individual star designer, short-lived and commodity-driven products, gendered dressing, ideal bodies, and waste. Their work demonstrates the need to diversify the term “fashion” in order to encompass new types of contemporary practice that acknowledge intention, ideas, and process and offer greater creative potential to both the designer and the consumer.

These practitioners speak with authority; all are designers with backgrounds in fashion, yet their work demonstrates how contemporary practitioners are increasingly drawing upon interrelated stimuli and methodologies. Lucy Jones considers body types that would typically be left out of fashion practices and conversations. Eckhaus Latta and Alexa Karolinski profile real people addressing important questions to emphasize that fashion goes beyond clothes and is a shared endeavor between creators, producers, and wearers. Henrik Vibskov refocuses attention on the body in movement and on relationships between fashion and time. Ryohei Kawanishi delves into the fashion system to offer new perspectives. SSAW challenges norms of body and gender, and ideals of beauty. And ensæmble explores the intimate relationship between the body and clothing.

fashion after Fashion is co-curated by Hazel Clark and Ilari Laamanen in collaboration with the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York and Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, with support from MAD’s Assistant Curator Barbara Paris Gifford and Curatorial Assistant and Project Manager Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy.

Major support for fashion after Fashion is provided by Marian and Rusty Burke and Michele and Marty Cohen. This exhibition was also realized with the support of C. Virginia Fields, the Museum of Arts and Design’s International Council, the Consulate General of Finland, the Consulate General of Denmark, and the Danish Arts Foundation.

fashion after Fashion is part of The Art and Craft of Getting Dressed, a series of three exhibitions at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) this spring that embrace craftsmanship, cultural commentary, and critical thinking in fashion practices—from the couture to the conceptual—across multiple generations. In keeping with MAD’s dedication to investigating studio “process” in modern and contemporary art and craft, these exhibitions highlight how fashion, as an expanded field of craft, serves as a platform for artists and designers to explore ways of making that champion artistry, expressiveness, and social responsibility—from concept to product.

MOMA, 2017 | ITEMS: IS FASHION MODERN?

SEATED PANTYHOSE

Moments after I was commissioned to collaborate on a re-design for MoMA’s exhibition, 'Items: Is Fashion Modern?' (MoMA's second ever Fashion exhibition in 73 years!!!) my heart was racing with anxiety and excitement as I paced MoMA’s white-washed lobby. I rang my parents sobbing with joy and disbelief, they could barely understand me because I was panting and talking too fast, as I quite often do. After the call ended I remember standing outside for at least twenty minutes unable to go home, I really wanted to remember that feeling. For as long as I can remember it has been a life-goal for me to one day have my work exhibited in a museum. Not because it would look pretty decent on a resume, (which it kinda does guys...) but because to me it meant that I was doing something meaningful with my life. People give themselves different goals or have other ideas of success, but this has always been mine.

Museums are incredibly important. Artifacts that signify culture and society, all interweaved to tell a story about humans. Designers often have to work for years to get to that stage. However, this is a different time in Fashion, where we are undergoing an exciting shift and reinvention. My work isn't about years of experience in an atelier, though one day it may be. My work reflects a significant moment in time. The now. A time where we need more inclusion and equality. To me this incredible accolade is a marker for all the work and collaboration we have left to do.

Design Details:
I gave myself three main goals when creating the pantyhose:

To make the tights more easily accessible to get on and off for the user
To be more comfortable for the seated posture
To posses all the elegance and elements that define the pantyhose.

Tights are incredibly difficult to get on and off, and can often involve a lot of wiggling and lunges around the bedroom. However if you are someone with limited mobility, poor dexterity or are seated for prolonged hours of the day such as a wheelchair user, this can prove even more challenging. I wanted to create easier access and increased comfort for those who are seated but in doing so not to sacrifice the purpose and historical role of pantyhose which were to make the legs appear silky smooth and flawless!

I was conscious to create a better fitting, dense and smooth yarn around the buttocks, like shape wear, to eliminate elastic cutting into the thighs and thus causing discomfort. I was also conscious about eliminating wrinkles/seams in the tights that would be in direct contact with skin and chair (if a wheelchair user) due to the fact this garment is an incredibly intimate garment. This intimacy could cause skin breakdown or other harmful scenarios such as hypertension. So, more variable stretch around the buttocks in order to cater for the spread of muscle and fat for when we are in a seated position. I also increased the height at the back by four inches higher than the front, so that the tights don't fall down. (This is due to our pelvis swinging forward when we are seated.) There is dotted grip underneath the foot so that when pushing a leg into the tights, the foot doesn’t slide away and there are two thumb pulls on the zippers which open the tights wide and to a little above the knee for easy on-easy off.