The excitement in the media this week stemmed from the recent Haute Couture collections. While most followed conventional expectations, two in particular proved to stand out in directions with similar benefit yet in very different approaches. One collection was known for the use of technology that is expected to be the foundation of transformation and the other for being at the highest level in its industry as it commands a change of attitude with regards to material usage. Both are important and prescient of where fashion for the twenty-first century is going, and both are centered on a key concern that is playing an increasing role in our society i.e. ecological urgency, and on the reassessment of what is valuable i.e. intellectual property over materials alone.
On one hand we have the “Voltage” collection by Dutch designer Iris van Herpen that recently captured wide media attention. A 2006 graduate from ARTEZ School of Arts in Arnhem, The Netherlands, her collection was accepted into the all-important Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture only last year, making her a new addition to that world of high design. While this isn’t her first foray into the use of 3D printing, she is the first Haute Couture designer to do so, especially given that the entire collection is 3-D printed.
The collection is particularly inspired by the installation work of Canadian architect Phillip Beesley, and one can readily see elements from recent installations in the garments Ms. Van Herpen designed. Whatever opinion one may have of the work or the practicality of the garments (and Haute Couture does not necessarily have the same perspective on this aspect given the cleintele’s needs) what is important is the ability to transfer one’s concepts and manufacture these locally. Furthermore, the materials in 3-D printing are more readily recyclable; ideally if the owner of a typical 3-D printed item tires of it, they can bring it back where it can be recycled into a new item and hence the ecological footprint is drastically reduced (whether this is factored into van Herpen’s designs is not disclosed). Furthermore, the value of the idea is restored as the garment’s meticulous detail cannot be readily copied. The designer can further ensure of this through design modification, restoring integrity and preserving value of the design itself.
If one collection is in the throes of technology, the other is in the opposite spectrum, bringing luxury into the concept of repurposing materials. Here, Maison Martin Margiela is spearheading the redefinition of luxury through ecological means by searching out local treasures and rescuing worn out relics of past luxury, incorporating them into reconstituted designs. By reusing existing and past-manufactured materials and objects the carbon footprint is lessened, the reduction of pollution is averted, and once-exhausted garments and elements are given a new lease on life in newly-constructed modern garments. Furthermore, this brings about new design approaches that challenge our assumptions of what is beautiful and valuable, and creates a new class of garment where mass-production is discouraged by proxy. That is, the uniqueness of the design is preserved due to the rarity of the materials repurposed.
That is not to say that these deign approaches will be completely immune from the unscrupulous efforts to capitalize on others’ design efforts. Unfortunately there will always be knockoffs for as long as there are consumers seeking discounts and having lower expectations of quality in favor of appearing affluent or trendy. This mindset may take longer to purge. But then again, the move to make ecological approaches mainstream seemed arduous a mere decade ago and yet we see the world change.
We are seeing two radically different approaches to design that will inspire others and, in time, will pave the way for what is deemed acceptable design parameters. The concept is old and the paths are new, and that we get to see them now is most exciting in the same way that changes in manufacturing and ideas on acceptable daywear transformed the beginning of the last century. Get a good look; the future is unfolding before us.