By Jeanne Tan /asdf 22-07-2010

In the past few years, we've seen the boundaries slowly disappearing between fashion and design. We see fashion labels establishing their own interior and furniture lines - think Martin Margiela, Diesel, Fendi, Armani, even Zara and H&M - fashion designers designing products and product designers doing fashion and borrowing techniques of fashion for their products. On the other hand, the collaboration between fashion and architecture is, however, still rather unchartered territory. 

Architecture has definitely been an influence in fashion, for instance in the work of Hussein Chalayan, however working collaborations between architects and fashion designers are few and far between. Even though the scales of their works might differ strongly, there are many similarities in the two disciplines including working with volumes, construction techniques, the people-aspect, materials and craftsmanship.

The exhibition Fashion & Architecture explores the result when an architect and fashion designer enter into a design process. Currently showing at ARCAM Architecture Institute Amsterdam, the exhibition features four ensembles created by four duos each consisting of a Dutch fashion design and architect who didn't know each other previously: Iris van Herpen with Jan Benthem / Mels Crouwel (Benthem Crouwel Architekten), Mattijs van Bergen (MATTIJS) with Anouk Vogel (Anouk Vogel landscape architecture), Farida Sedoc (Hosselaer) with Nicole / Marc Maurer (Maurer United Architects), Kentroy Yearwood (Intoxica) with Jeroen Bergsma (2012Architecten).

The project was initiated by architect Wouter Valkenier from V2A architectuur & stedenbouw and Liza Koifman and Tomas Overtoom from menswear fashion label OntFront. Previously for the design of a coffee bar, Valkenier had invited OntFront - whose work he first saw at a fashion exhibition - to collaborate on the furnishings and uniforms of the staff. The question that arose after the project was that, what if a fashion designer and an architect were to collaborate right from the outset of the project instead of only at the end? With this in mind, a plan was hatched to investigate the collaborative potential between architecture and fashion which was then presented to ARCAM.

The result sees four very different outfits and processes on show. With a conceptual approach in mind, Iris van Herpen took inspiration from one of the designs of Benthem Crouwel: the imaginary water inside the 'bathtub' of the new Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Fashioned from a special type perspex - with the help of a hairdryer - the stunning transparent dress entitled 'Pure Water' splashes around the body, simultaneously frozen and fluid. The material and technique features in Van Herpen's SS2011 collection 'Crystallization'  which was recently previewed during Amsterdam International Fashion Week.

Farida Sedoc and Nicole and Marc Maurer mixed the idea literally of a wearable building with the concept of 'Dutch Masters'. Marc and Nicole created five block sculptures which resembled modernist buildings which Farida then used as 'moulds' for their 'T-Haus' t-shirts. The colours and patterns of an iconic Dutch era De Stijl brings the piece together.

For 'Insectiouselectrotubeflowercliché' Kentroy Yearwood & Jeroen Bergsma of 2012Architecten both drew from their expertise in sustainability. Using materials from the waste processing company Icova located in Amsterdam’s western harbour, the duo worked with the idea of ‘recyclicity’ in the object by keeping the basic materials recognizable while at the same time creating a new aesthetic. Their colourful, volumimous dress highlights the beauty of something banal like utility cables.
   
Both taking inspiration from nature, landscape architect Anouk Vogel and Mattijs van Bergen looked to the seasons to create their striking outfit. Stapled together from bicycle inner tubes, the dress responds to and highlights the seasons not by dramatically changing its look every time - as per the fashion system - but by being renewed through the arrangement of seasonal flowers in the holes of the dress.

Watch a preview video of the designers at work below.

Fashion and Architecture is on view at ARCAM from 17 July 2010 until 11 September 2010.

Main image and image 1: Iris van Herpen with Jan Benthem/Mels Crouwel, photography Rollan Didier
Images 2&3: Farida Sedoc Hosselaer with Nicole/Marc Maurer
Images 4&5: Kentroy Yearwood with Jeroen Bergsma
Images 6&7: Mattijs van Bergen with Anouk Vogel
Photography (except image 6) Marnix Postma
 

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