Fashion Auteurs – serie

Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen (1984) is renowned for her innovative designs combining sartorial craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. In her designs, she intertwines the digital and the material, the human and the nonhuman, and the natural and technological. Van Herpen is inspired by spider webs, coral reefs, the rhizomic roots of fungi, undulating waves of water or smoke, marine organisms, and the dendrites and synapses of organic life. In this book, Anneke Smelik shows that Van Herpen’s highly technological designs can be considered posthuman fashion, as they feature the intertwining relationship between the organic and the inorganic. In creating folds, rhizomes, and entanglements, Van Herpen’s designs open up to an understanding of life as an infinite play of becoming—a dance of materials.

Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen (1984) is renowned for her innovative designs combining sartorial craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. In her designs, she intertwines the digital and the material, the human and the nonhuman, and the natural and technological. Van Herpen is inspired by spider webs, coral reefs, the rhizomic roots of fungi, undulating waves of water or smoke, marine organisms, and the dendrites and synapses of organic life. In this book, Anneke Smelik shows that Van Herpen’s highly technological designs can be considered posthuman fashion, as they feature the intertwining relationship between the organic and the inorganic. In creating folds, rhizomes, and entanglements, Van Herpen’s designs open up to an understanding of life as an infinite play of becoming—a dance of materials.

In a little over twenty years, New York–-based fashion designer Thome Browne has decisively and permanently changed the fashion industry. Through his clothes that are rooted in America’s distinctive preppie style, he has challenged age-old conventions of tailoring by altering proportions and blurring gender boundaries. The cropped trouser, which has become a staple of people’s wardrobes around the world, owes much to Browne’s pioneering reinterpretation of the suit. Through highly choreographed catwalk shows, he has enlivened the presentation of fashion, creating soulful spectacles that variously critique and cherish common themes in human lives. Browne’s influence within the fashion industry has been recognised through various awards. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has named him ‘Menswear Designer of the Year’ on three occasions, in 2006, 2013, and 2016. Since 2023, Browne has served as the CFDA’s Chair. In May 2023, Browne dressed nine celebrities to honour Karl Lagerfeld at the annual gala hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.This book considers Browne’s position as a fashion auteur by focusing on four collections that enable detailed consideration of his innovative clothing designs and catwalk presentations, situating them within their historical and social context and drawing out what makes them distinctive and influential.

In a little over twenty years, New York–-based fashion designer Thome Browne has decisively and permanently changed the fashion industry. Through his clothes that are rooted in America’s distinctive preppie style, he has challenged age-old conventions of tailoring by altering proportions and blurring gender boundaries. The cropped trouser, which has become a staple of people’s wardrobes around the world, owes much to Browne’s pioneering reinterpretation of the suit. Through highly choreographed catwalk shows, he has enlivened the presentation of fashion, creating soulful spectacles that variously critique and cherish common themes in human lives. Browne’s influence within the fashion industry has been recognised through various awards. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has named him ‘Menswear Designer of the Year’ on three occasions, in 2006, 2013, and 2016. Since 2023, Browne has served as the CFDA’s Chair. In May 2023, Browne dressed nine celebrities to honour Karl Lagerfeld at the annual gala hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.This book considers Browne’s position as a fashion auteur by focusing on four collections that enable detailed consideration of his innovative clothing designs and catwalk presentations, situating them within their historical and social context and drawing out what makes them distinctive and influential.

This book is the first biographical account of Sebastian Masuda written in English. Sebastian Masuda is a Japanese creator and artist who is globally known as the king of Japanese “Kawaii” (cute) subculture which originated in Harajuku. His continuous pursuit of the concept of kawaii is his lifetime passion and mission, and his work is always characterized by bright neon colors that led to the emergence of Decora fashion. He wears several hats in the field of fashion, art, and entertainment and uses colorful and kawaii elements as his creative foundation. He treats kawaii styles as explicit, non-violent forms of rebellion and resistance like many other youth subcultures in Japan that express themselves in unconventional fashion. One needs courage to walk down the street wearing bright, flashy clothes and accessories from head to toe.As an artist, Masuda has created prominent art pieces, such as a giant Hello Kitty sculpture in New York and a giant Doraemon statue made out of fluffy yarn in Singapore. As a designer, he has designed the décor of Kawaii Monster Café in Harajuku and Sushidelic, a sushi restaurant, in New York. He also runs a store, 6%DokiDoki, which has its own clothing line. As an entertainment producer, he has collaborated with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, a Japanese singer and pop culture icon, and produced her first music video.This book traces a strong impact of Masudaʼs difficult and lonely childhood and upbringing and complex family background on his creative endeavors that attract millions of youngsters that are also going through personal hardships. Masuda went through his teenage years spending time alone in the library reading books which made him observant and perceptive. This book also delves into his deep understanding of kawaii with intricate layers of interpretations which are often misunderstood and misconstrued as simply being cute, girlie, and infantile. Kawaii is not just an adjective but a lifestyle, philosophy, and ideology.

This book is the first biographical account of Sebastian Masuda written in English. Sebastian Masuda is a Japanese creator and artist who is globally known as the king of Japanese “Kawaii” (cute) subculture which originated in Harajuku. His continuous pursuit of the concept of kawaii is his lifetime passion and mission, and his work is always characterized by bright neon colors that led to the emergence of Decora fashion. He wears several hats in the field of fashion, art, and entertainment and uses colorful and kawaii elements as his creative foundation. He treats kawaii styles as explicit, non-violent forms of rebellion and resistance like many other youth subcultures in Japan that express themselves in unconventional fashion. One needs courage to walk down the street wearing bright, flashy clothes and accessories from head to toe.As an artist, Masuda has created prominent art pieces, such as a giant Hello Kitty sculpture in New York and a giant Doraemon statue made out of fluffy yarn in Singapore. As a designer, he has designed the décor of Kawaii Monster Café in Harajuku and Sushidelic, a sushi restaurant, in New York. He also runs a store, 6%DokiDoki, which has its own clothing line. As an entertainment producer, he has collaborated with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, a Japanese singer and pop culture icon, and produced her first music video.This book traces a strong impact of Masudaʼs difficult and lonely childhood and upbringing and complex family background on his creative endeavors that attract millions of youngsters that are also going through personal hardships. Masuda went through his teenage years spending time alone in the library reading books which made him observant and perceptive. This book also delves into his deep understanding of kawaii with intricate layers of interpretations which are often misunderstood and misconstrued as simply being cute, girlie, and infantile. Kawaii is not just an adjective but a lifestyle, philosophy, and ideology.

The enduring influence of Saint Laurent’s designs in modern fashion is undeniable. Concepts introduced by Saint Laurent, like the tuxedo jacket for women and the sheer blouse and dress, have become staples in contemporary fashion, transcending their origins to become symbols of power, elegance and sexuality. His ability to anticipate and articulate the needs and desires of the modern woman has left a lasting blueprint for how fashion interacts with social change and individual identity. Moreover, even after his death at 71 in 2008, Saint Laurent’s integration of art and fashion continues to inspire current designers, seen in the ongoing collaborations between high fashion and contemporary artists.Saint Laurent was above all an artist of synthesis, of agglomeration and reshaping, of conglomeration and adaptation. His work is a fusion of the tactile and aesthetic with fancy and supposition – for his interiors are not what were but could have been, a projection of imagination and personality. It is a straddling of two separate worlds, which is crucial to fashion. His significance is in making this explicit.

The enduring influence of Saint Laurent’s designs in modern fashion is undeniable. Concepts introduced by Saint Laurent, like the tuxedo jacket for women and the sheer blouse and dress, have become staples in contemporary fashion, transcending their origins to become symbols of power, elegance and sexuality. His ability to anticipate and articulate the needs and desires of the modern woman has left a lasting blueprint for how fashion interacts with social change and individual identity. Moreover, even after his death at 71 in 2008, Saint Laurent’s integration of art and fashion continues to inspire current designers, seen in the ongoing collaborations between high fashion and contemporary artists.Saint Laurent was above all an artist of synthesis, of agglomeration and reshaping, of conglomeration and adaptation. His work is a fusion of the tactile and aesthetic with fancy and supposition – for his interiors are not what were but could have been, a projection of imagination and personality. It is a straddling of two separate worlds, which is crucial to fashion. His significance is in making this explicit.

Before Alessandro Michele took the creative helm at Gucci in 2015, the brand was mostly known for its sleek sophistication and sexy hedonism. Despite having worked at the Italian fashion house for over twelve years as the accessories and jewellery designer, Michele was relatively unknown in the fashion industry and the public sphere. All of that was to change when he sent his models down the runway for the 2015 Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collection in an eclectic mix of pussy-bow blouses, chiffon dresses, wallpaper prints and a motley collection of accessories, including fur-lined loafers, berets and granny-style horn-rimmed glasses. Michele’s stylistic design approach created an aesthetic reminiscent of the fashion eccentric who wears flea market finds with high-end designer and heirloom pieces – imperfect, nostalgic and maximalist. The new Gucci woman (and man) were intellectual and sensual misfits who are perfectly at home in the glamourous rag-tag aesthetic of a Wes Anderson film.With his inaugurate collection, Michele tapped into the zeitgeist that was yearning for a more colourful and playful design, and a disregard of traditional gender divisions: while Gucci has hitherto showcased its men’s and women’s collections separately, as well as favoured traditional masculine and feminine looks respectively, Michele broke with the idea of a gender binary, ushering in gender fluidity and a new fantastical vision of masculinity.Although his collections were spectacular in their scope (the Fall/Winter 2017 consists of roughly 120 looks), the designs are also a testimony to his ability to scramble signifiers of gender, pop culture, history and time. Referencing and borrowing from philosophical concepts and ideas, such as the infamous Cyborg collection (Gucci Fall/Winter 2019) that envisioned subjectivities beyond the confines of the human body with replica heads or extra eyes on their hands; the Fall/Winter 2016 collection titled ‘Rhizomatic Scores’, referencing Deleuze and Guattari’s influential concept; or the Fall/Winter 2020 menswear collection titled ‘Masculine, Plural’ that referenced Butler’s notion of gender performativity, Michele exemplifies a fashion auteur who knows how to play not only with gender signifiers but also with signifiers of time, culture and species.

Before Alessandro Michele took the creative helm at Gucci in 2015, the brand was mostly known for its sleek sophistication and sexy hedonism. Despite having worked at the Italian fashion house for over twelve years as the accessories and jewellery designer, Michele was relatively unknown in the fashion industry and the public sphere. All of that was to change when he sent his models down the runway for the 2015 Fall/Winter ready-to-wear collection in an eclectic mix of pussy-bow blouses, chiffon dresses, wallpaper prints and a motley collection of accessories, including fur-lined loafers, berets and granny-style horn-rimmed glasses. Michele’s stylistic design approach created an aesthetic reminiscent of the fashion eccentric who wears flea market finds with high-end designer and heirloom pieces – imperfect, nostalgic and maximalist. The new Gucci woman (and man) were intellectual and sensual misfits who are perfectly at home in the glamourous rag-tag aesthetic of a Wes Anderson film.With his inaugurate collection, Michele tapped into the zeitgeist that was yearning for a more colourful and playful design, and a disregard of traditional gender divisions: while Gucci has hitherto showcased its men’s and women’s collections separately, as well as favoured traditional masculine and feminine looks respectively, Michele broke with the idea of a gender binary, ushering in gender fluidity and a new fantastical vision of masculinity.Although his collections were spectacular in their scope (the Fall/Winter 2017 consists of roughly 120 looks), the designs are also a testimony to his ability to scramble signifiers of gender, pop culture, history and time. Referencing and borrowing from philosophical concepts and ideas, such as the infamous Cyborg collection (Gucci Fall/Winter 2019) that envisioned subjectivities beyond the confines of the human body with replica heads or extra eyes on their hands; the Fall/Winter 2016 collection titled ‘Rhizomatic Scores’, referencing Deleuze and Guattari’s influential concept; or the Fall/Winter 2020 menswear collection titled ‘Masculine, Plural’ that referenced Butler’s notion of gender performativity, Michele exemplifies a fashion auteur who knows how to play not only with gender signifiers but also with signifiers of time, culture and species.

Scottish-born stylist Ray Petri (1948–1989), founder of the maverick Buffalo collective, defined the look and feel of radical 1980s magazines such as The Face, i-D, and Arena. Harnessing the power of street style, sportswear, and club culture, Petri’s vision took the sartorial vocabulary of subcultural styles into the mainstream. His radical casting of Black models and his genderplay marked a culturally reflexive, political approach to the relationship between fashion and identity. Challenging the policing of masculinity and sexuality in particular, Petri’s imagery boldly toyed with the iconography of homoeroticism against the backdrop of gay rights activism and the AIDS crisis. Today, the Buffalo spirit endures in the countercultural references, cultural diversity, and post-gender conversation that underlies the most powerful of contemporary fashion imagery. This book traces how Petri and Buffalo created the template for modern fashion photography by advocating for a new cultural order.

Scottish-born stylist Ray Petri (1948–1989), founder of the maverick Buffalo collective, defined the look and feel of radical 1980s magazines such as The Face, i-D, and Arena. Harnessing the power of street style, sportswear, and club culture, Petri’s vision took the sartorial vocabulary of subcultural styles into the mainstream. His radical casting of Black models and his genderplay marked a culturally reflexive, political approach to the relationship between fashion and identity. Challenging the policing of masculinity and sexuality in particular, Petri’s imagery boldly toyed with the iconography of homoeroticism against the backdrop of gay rights activism and the AIDS crisis. Today, the Buffalo spirit endures in the countercultural references, cultural diversity, and post-gender conversation that underlies the most powerful of contemporary fashion imagery. This book traces how Petri and Buffalo created the template for modern fashion photography by advocating for a new cultural order.

Manfred Thierry Mugler encapsulates the notion of a fashion auteur. The late designer constructed a phantasmagoric fashion house that championed diversity, creative ingenuity and the subversion of societal norms across multiple disciplinary forms. Moving across creative fields seamlessly, he created an archive of work that is as eclectic as it is recognisable. This multiplicity of form includes a large archive of Thierry Mugler couture, ready-to-wear, perfumes, costume designs, film and photography. Mugler’s designs championed and subverted the feminine form, exaggerating and enhancing it in all its manifestations. The designer was a champion for diversity on the runway, being one of the first to include drag artists and trans models to present his collections. Fashion became Mugler’s tool for expression and communication, a site for spectacle, metamorphosis and transgression. This book explores his spectacular archive of work, focusing on some of the expansive collections and collaborations that have become synonymous with his creative identity.