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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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The Quality of Light

T o say that the world has experienced a whirlwind of change has been an understatement. Political tensions have accompanied chaos within the halls of the world powers, spurring a rise in public protest and greater mistrust in once-hallowed institutions. Issues of privacy, accountability, face-value information streams and technical advancements misused for chipping away at overall security has shaken many across the globe. As well, economic uncertainties and growing discontent amidst unchecked class division have interfered with the collective psyche; all quite grim when looking at it objectively from afar.

Central to all of this is the forward march of change brought on by the march of technical progress that causes the greater populations to question their place (or even fit) within. Further advances are making themselves increasingly present in all lifestyle aspects, with design hardly immune. In fact, the allure of advancements has always gone hand-in-hand with fashion, an industry that has long affinity with everything new. As we plunge deeper into the 21st century, we expect that our technology should progress. We may not have flying cars yet (expect drone technology to lead us in that direction by 2020), but the smart phone has become our second brain, a necessary tool for societal interaction, and wearables have moved from exciting novelty to practical accessories as a matter of course where the need applies. The latter has a while to go before the general public finds this as ubiquitous as socks or a tee-shirt, but that doesn't dampen their entry into our modern costume. We have certain expectations, and the role technology plays within our wardrobes is fast becoming one of them.

Thus, within the recent collections such as from Spring Summer 2018 Haute Couture and Fall Winter 2018/19 pret-a-porter, designers have been slipping in various innovations to not only meet our expectations to bring us in line with what we feel is a modern world, but also to reflect more modern sensibilities. In particular, the fixation of light and our interaction with light is an interesting fascination.

In the late 90s, our hopes were becoming more future-oriented. The promise of technological advancements and the hopes of a new millennium were stirring imaginations, with the overall climate at that time inspired by the emergence of computers growing in popularity and invigorating collections towards tech inspiration. While various prints and cuts played with things like computer punch cards or early tech imagery as print, some experimentation with reflective materials such as translucent reflective PVCs was touched upon by forward thinking labels such as Comme des Garcon while Alexander McQueen was playing with light and tech as pattern and accents in tech-centric garments, capturing the excitement of the future and translating this into invigorative design expression. They proved a playful antidote in a world where increasing tensions played out in the Middle East, drowning out murmurs of tech-inspired Y2K fears with visions of progress.

Now, while we struggle with very real issues regarding new global political tensions and growing fears of AI and robotics rendering most human participation as obsolete, we seek antidotes of expressive levity, if only to distract us. In a world where deception becomes a more permanent fog, our unity to remedy what has clouded our existence is through light. That is, when times are dark, we look for light.

Light illuminates. It shows truth. It chases away the dark and sparkles with joy, with energy. And in times of confusion and uncertainty, this electric life-filled expression finds its way into collections in various forms. The play of light comes through in holographic expressions from more established houses such as those from Balmain (here) and Maison Martin Margiela (here & here), and spilled into smaller fashion creators (such as Hong Kong based MolaMolastore; example is here).

But in our age of technical prowess, we are seeing more sophisticated versions implemented in textiles, such as those activated by flash (handy to grab attention in the age of Instagram). Sies Marjan (here, here and here) and Maison Martin Margiela (here, here, here, here and here) both use a similar variation that is flash-activated. The relationship between technical interaction and the wearer becomes symbolic of our increasing connectivity with all that is technical as a 21st century given. This prismatic aspect is taken to another level via Japanese designer Anrealage (here and here) where prisms are embedded into textiles and reflect depending on quality of light as well as its position.

The play of light and reflective materials is also finding more artistic and sophisticated execution from rising labels across the globe from various creatives such as Pakistani Designer Salman Javed Ansari (here and here) and UK designer Yufash (here and here). Meanwhile, play of light finds expression via the traditional, such as the gleam of changeant iridescence from Huishan Zhang (here) and from Iris Van Herpen (here).

The utilization of technical advances also is moving from novelty towards further integration as we edge further into our acceptance into a technical world. The long-standing utilization of light that Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan have experimented with have paved the way for further innovation exploration. Some of these experiments are continuations of existing approaches from upstarts such as Canadian company Phi Illuminated Design (here) while other vanguards such as Parisian designer Clara Daguin seek more intricate couture-like execution (here, here and here). Further technical directions also open the doors to new forms resulting in rudimentary aspirations with experimentation (here, here, here, here and here) that, as technical evolution moves forward, open the doors towards new, broader creative possibilities while inspiring future generations to more sophisticated design directions.

The emergence of these innovations, tackled across the globe in seemingly small stages, collectively crowdsource our cumulative technical knowledge to set the stage for further incarnations, illuminating the way our fashion leads us forward. It's most optimistic and energetic, if only to take us for the moment from the kinds of realities that require us to seek...and go into... the light.

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