Part of my summer project was to visit 5 galleries / shows and this is the fifth and final instalment of that, which I've combined with the "piece of design I either love or hate" task.
I went to an alternative fashion show earlier in the summer and wasn't going to post about it as I didn't want to be negative since I felt it was irrelevant to my personal taste. When I hear the word "latex" two things come to mind; the balloons you get children's birthday parties and condoms - both of which can provide you with hours of fun and entertainment, if used correctly. And by that I obviously mean filling the condoms, full of water and throwing them at your neighbours. Water balloon fights are so much fun... err, what did you think I was talking about?! haha
Anywhoo, back to the fashion show... A label called "Lady Allura's Latex" featured heavily throughout, whose collections are made predominantly of latex. I can see the designer is trying to take a seemingly unconventional material and make it fashion, but for me fashion is about inspiring people and this felt too niche and any serious fashion statements were lost beneath the sex appeal. Whilst the idea of using an unconventional material is commendable, the designs themselves were very basic and lacking awareness of what real women want in their wardrobe. The designer's ethos aims encourages women of all sizes to feel good in their bodies and latex - being a smooth fabric - is supposed to empower them to be proud of their figure. Personally I can't stand clothes that cling to me and I can't imagine many women in the real world being keen on wearing this either. Rather than being all about "look-at-me-latex" I think what would have been more effective is using the latex in a way so it doesn't look like latex, if that makes sense. Like the artisan couture collections by Martin Magiela, in which the house designers use recycled material in they're clothes. Team Margiela play with the reconstruction of clothing, giving cast off everyday objects (such as combs, shoe laces, old records) a new lease of life. On first glance you might not even notice the abnormal materials, which makes it all the more exciting when you uncover their true unconventional beauty.
Anyway, that's just my opinion; I think developing a better understanding of what I like and what I don't like will aid me long-term in defining my personal vision. I'm still finding my way as a designer and whilst I have strong ambitions and want my clothes to have a real purpose and meaning behind them, I think what's also important is valuing the aesthetic content and not letting the message behind a collection be my sole motivation to design.
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