So, who are some of the most impactful fashion designers of modern times? Moreover, who are the designers driving the fashion industry toward a brighter future? Let's take a look at the top 5 modern fashion designers pushing the boundaries of fashion to allow for greater freedom and inclusivity!
Jean-Paul Gaultier
If anyone can combine men's skirts, graffiti, corsets, and Jeanne D'Arc into one collection, it’s Jean-Paul Gaultier. In his work, the "favourite bad boy" of French fashion has always undermined the outdated concepts of good taste and morality. His creations free the body, appealing to the growing number of progressive fashionistas and consumers craving completely new styles.So, what was Gaultier's main message? There is a great variety of beauty. Regardless of your age, gender, or style — you are beautiful. His nationwide auditions for models rebuffed the monotonous ideality of the fashion world. That said, Gaultier best sums up his vision and work in one of his most famous quotes: “Be whoever you want and wear whatever you want. You are beautiful because it is you!"
Rei Kawakubo
Life in a modern metropolis poses many challenges, even when it comes to what you wear. Can clothing act as a psychological defense or even a social filter? Of course it can! This expansion of fashion’s purpose can partly be attributed to the legendary designer, Rei Kawakubo.Since the early 1980s, Kawakubo has garnered international acclaim by steering fashion toward the avant-garde. At the heart of her work lies deconstruction, abstract forms, raw seams, and layering. These qualities give consumers the ability to create a "buffer" between themselves and the world.
At the same time, Kawakubo’s creations completely level out the natural silhouette, diminishing the objectification of the body. This way, you can feel both physically and psychologically protected from the dangers of the modern concrete jungle!
Maria Grazia Chiuri
Many fashion trends come and go, but should we dismiss the trends of the past? Maria Grazia Chiuri doesn’t think so. In her debut collection for Dior, Chiuri did not just fill the show with strong feminine looks, including a fencing suit and T-shirts with feminist slogans. She also reconciled modern feminist ideologies with the values of 1940s and 50s fashion houses.By combining seemingly opposing elements, playing with proportions and styles, Chiuri could transform the legendary Dior jacket with a thin waist and padded peplum into practical clothing for the modern woman. Thanks to Maria Chiuri’s creations, women can walk through life at a confident, brisk pace!
Demna Gvasalia
According to Demna Gvasalia, the main task of fashion is to regulate relations in society. The Internet has given us endless streams of information and transparency, shedding additional light on the nature of human relationships. This information helps promote the primary trend of our time: democratization.Fortunately, fashion has the power to erase the boundaries between people of different countries, social statuses, and worldviews. In his debut collection for Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia did the impossible: he reflected the current street fashion and reinterpreted the classic techniques and forms of Cristobal Balenciaga from the last century.
The variety of silhouettes and overshoots of the post-war period transformed into the practicality of oversizing the modern world. The volumes of opera capes transformed into open down jackets. After all, deliberate simplicity is the latest form of luxury!
Iris van Herpen
The models of Iris van Herpen can rightfully be called modern works of art! Van Herpen has repeatedly turned to 3D printing in her work, but in 2013 she went even further. Herpen developed two unique outfits for her spring-summer collection only using plastic! It may not please everybody, but it certainly sent shockwaves through the fashion world!Thus, Herpen’s collection is rightfully considered a stepping stone toward a brave new world of fashion. In this new world, humanity will have access to cheap and easily reproducible clothing that perfectly matches individual measurements. So, even if wearing plastic doesn’t sound that great today, it could very well be the wave of the future!
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Modern fashion designers have a tough job. They must show deference to the styles of the past while moving fashion toward a completely diffModernerent future. Fortunately, some of the leaders of the modern fashion world have found processes and styles that find a perfect balance between old and new. In any case, it remains to be seen how these top-5 fashion designers will enhance the world of fashion in the years to come!
