When you think of Spring fashions, think futuristic. The Jetsons meets Blade Runner meets Star Wars. It was the robots who ruled the runways during fashion week around the globe. From Balenciaga and Hussein Chalayan in Paris, Gareth Pugh and Giles Deacon in London, to New York’s very own Narciso Rodriguez, the future is now. Let us no longer speak of fashion designers. Henceforth, we should refer to them as Wizards.
The technological revolution that has completely transformed our society is now making its mark on the fashion scene. We are starting to see exciting new styles that not only make use of technology, but fully embrace it. Spring collections are boldly incorporating new fabrics, new shapes, and new materials. Marshall Cohen, chief analyst for NPD group, said it best when he let Forbes magazine know that “wearable technology will soon be part of our everyday wardrobe.”
The award for the most magical and influential fashion show undoubtedly goes to Hussein Chalayan. He enlisted the help of 2D3D, known for their hi-tech displays and installations for diverse clients (from Jaguar to MTV to the McLellan Gallery). The special effects masters and Chalayan put on a show that left the audience as bewildered as they were fascinated. 2006 will go down as the year that the first remote-controlled dress appeared.
The best part of his show was one gown and one oversize white hat… but his pieces go far beyond their names. As if touched by a magic wand, the “gown” expanded and then immediately contracted. It turned into multiple mirrors, then completely altered its original silhouette to become a flapper dress. Simultaneously, the hat (suspiciously reminiscent of a flying saucer) took on the form of a visor.
How was this done, you ask? Chalayan was not present on stage to rearrange the outfit. Instead, he incorporated microchips into the dazzling gown and hat to accomplish the shape-shifting. Tag-teaming with 2D3D allowed him to satisfy his curiosity and passion:
Granted, Chalayan was not flying solo. Balenciaga, Lanvin, Giles Deacon, and Gareth Pugh (to name a few) had a similar ambience to their work. They also used at least a touch of technology in their collections, displaying patent, multi-layered, metallic, and armor-inspired collections. The clothing made innovative use of modern materials including nylon, latex, gore-tex, and spandex … even a newly concocted organza made of aluminum.
Fashion is spreading into all areas of our culture, and taking full advantage of the technological revolution. It is literally jumping out of magazine pages (and off the models’ bodies). As Giles Deacon told Pop, “in each collection there’s always some new technical thing to solve…to turn this thought/drawing/idea into a 3D piece that you can wear.”
Technology continues to give designers have a new toy to play with, and it’s only just begun. I wouldn’t be surprised if 3D glasses become a must at all fashion shows!
-Sarah Perpich
“In the same way people want to know where their chicken is from, they want to know where their clothes come from.”
- Averyl Oates, Harvey Nichols
PETA would be pleased. Finally, fashion has ventured out into nature. The catwalks all lead to the hiking trails now that organic cotton has taken the fashion scene by storm. Caring, conscious consumers are now not only buying organic food, but also organic clothing. Greenpeace-inspired garb is slowly but inexorably infiltrating the consumer’s social and moral conscience.
Organic food and beverages clocked in at a whopping $14.6 billion in 2005 alone. Fashion followed food’s lead, naturally, with organic cotton clothing: it carries no pesticide residues, and uses no heavy metals or chlorine in its dyes. And according to the Oakland-based nonprofit Organic Exchange, demand for organic cotton is running wild:
“Global sales of organic cotton increased 35% annually to $583 million from $245 million and are projected to reach 2.6 billion by the end of 2008. More than 1,200 retailers and manufacturers offer organic products to consumers, up from only a few hundred in 2001.”
Organic cotton isn’t the only material fashion designers are borrowing from nature. Other popular materials include hemp, bamboo, and a wide variety of exotic plants. Fashion designers are also incorporating recycled material into their collections by reusing old clothes, or even bottles from the local recycling bin.
According to the nonprofit group Sustainable Technology Education Project these trends fall under the category of Eco-Fashion, which is clothing that “takes into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of the people in the fashion industry.”
Of course, organic clothing is not a completely new idea… the very first clothes were organic. In recent times, though, LL Bean and Patagonia were among the first to use organic cotton in the early 1990’s. But Mark Zaroff, founder of organic fashion line Under the Canopy, argues that the organic clothing of the past was often made out of fabrics that were “crunchy-scratchy, and the styling was all wrong for the mass market.”
This time around, fashion designs and fashionistas have paired up to create and consume highly stylized organic clothing and accessories. Today, organic clothing is not only more comfortable, but also lasts longer. This increases its appeal to the major department and fashion retail stores. Events at London’s Fashion Week and Paris’ Pret-a-Porter also helped generate interest in organic clothing and social responsibility in fashion.
Less expensive stores including Walmart, American Apparel and H & M are on the same page as high-end retail stores such as Barneys New York, Holt Renfrew or Nordstroms on the matter. Shops are taking a cue from Whole Foods and tapping into consumers who are both environment-friendly and sophisticated. As Harvey Nichols’ buying director Averyl Oats said, “We’re of the opinion that you can be fashionable and care about the world.”
The organic clothing industry also has a presence in the celebrity world, which is fueling consumers’ product knowledge and demand. We all know Stella McCartney, who is infamous for never using fur in any of her collections. Two years ago, U2’s Bono and his wife Ali Hewson followed in her footsteps and started Edun. This all-organic clothing line supports moral and social values for the local workforce and their communities.
Bono also expanded the horizons of ethical clothing this year with his launch of Project Red, through which fashion retailers donate profits to a fund combating AIDS, malaria, and TB in Africa. And Project Red is just one of the new collaborations between designers and charities. Even Gap, one Project’s Red’s partners, just released a 60’s-inspired dress collection by famous Parisian designer Roland Mouret. After all, what is more appealing to a customer than to look chic and philanthropic at the same time?
Glamour has gone green, and not with envy this time. Finally, as much green as a fashionista puts into her clothes, she puts into her environment… one (green) hand washes the other.
- Sarah Perpich
Credits:
Top Photograph – NatureVsFuture →
Plumb Obi Belt Dress – NatureVsFuture @ mightyflirt.com →
Vegan Ballet Flats – Moo Shoes →
Long Alpaca Scarf – The Green Loop →
Under the Canopy →