Fashion and Art: A Complicated Relationship

If you ever get the chance to bring together a group of fashion designers and hope to create a conversation that will cause the perfect amount of controversy, ask them, “Do you consider yourself an artist?” Designers such as Helmut Lang will say they are not artists, but with designers such as Alexander McQueen and the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte, the detail and intricacy of their designs seem like undeniable pieces of artwork.

Fashion designers may not consider themselves to be artists, yet there has been a close, intimate, and often profitable relationship between the two worlds. In 1965, Yves Saint Laurent unveiled his Fall Mondrian Collection, where the prints of his dresses directly echoed the canvases of minimalist Piet Mondrian. In 2013, Alexander McQueen collaborated with contemporary artist, Damien Hirst, and two weeks ago, Louis Vuitton announced its collaboration with controversial, highly successful artist and sculptor Jeff Koons, who is known for his work with both banal subjects as well as pop culture references.

Louis Vuitton is no stranger to artistic collaborations, an aspect of the brand that grew under the leadership of Marc Jacobs as the creative director and has continued under the helm of Nicholas Ghesquière. In 2003, Louis Vuitton collaborated with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami who has often found an impeccable balance between fine art practice as well as more commercial projects. The work of Takashi Murakami is often praised for its ability to elevate his post-war Japanese culture and history into a modern context. This collaboration brought some of the most sought-after and popular handbags of the era. We can all thank Takashi Murakami for the multi color Louis Vuitton logos that were sported by all of the it-girls of the 2000s. Under the tenure of Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton briefly worked with graffiti artist Stephen Sprouse, Kanye West and Yayoi Kusama, all of which garnered major media attention as well as praise from the fashion world. Now, three years under Nicholas Ghesquière, two major collaborations have become highly sought after: first the collection with Supreme which debuted at the Men’s 2017 Fall-Winter show and now the Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton collection.

The Jeff Koons collaboration takes Louis Vuitton and the realm of art collaborations to new heights. Named “The Masters”, the handbags are not decorated with the artwork of Jeff Koons, but of the great masters of art including, Da Vinci, Rubens, Titian, Fragonard and Van Gogh. This collection incorporates Koons’ long-standing “Gazing Ball” paintings, where Koons has slightly changed and activated the work of these fine art masters.

While fashion designers may not want to be considered artists, venues such as the Met Gala constantly show how this connection is ultimately a great way to stretch one’s creative ability and see clothing and accessories beyond their intrinsic utilitarian functions. Fashion can be fun, daring, playful, avant-garde and thought-provoking, whether one is wearing Comme des Garçons or a handbag with the Mona Lisa on it.