What do Tom Ford, Pierre Cardin and Rei Kawakubo have in common? Before they kicked off their illustrious fashion careers, each of these designers were enrolled to study architecture or industrial design.
For these creative geniuses and their respective brands, along with a host of others in the fashion industry, architecture has, and will probably always, serve as an evergreen source of inspiration.
AD has put together a list of 7 fashion designers who were rewarded by their architectural past:
Tom Ford
Before his iconic eponymous brand became a household name in the US, fashion designer and filmmaker Tom Ford enrolled for an architecture course at New York's Parsons School of Design at The New School.
Ford spent a good deal of his degree studying at the school's Paris campus, learning more about French architecture and fashion simultaneously. Ford's architectural influences are evident in his film "A Single Man," set in a 1960s modernist Los Angeles bungalow.
Pierre Cardin
Cardin started learning the basics of fashion during his stint as a clothier's apprentice. Following this, he went on to study architecture at university. However, his fling with designing buildings ended after completing his final semester.
While his early work with Dior gained popularity and recognition, Cardin's background in architecture soon became a strong influence. The avant-garde, space-age designs he was renowned for—such as bubble dresses, the worldwide fad he started in 1954—put the emphasis on clothes as bodily architecture as opposed to just pieces of fabric. Like a classic architect, his designs focus more on geometry than on the female form.
Raf Simons
Simons may not have studied architecture formally, but he showed an interest in it. He eventually studied its less flashy cousin, industrial design. After completing his course in 1991, Simons moved on to fashion.
Simons calls his work “innovative construction with an emphasis on shape and form”. His architectural influence is evident in his choice of venue for his 2016 Dior resort collection. He zeroed in on the Palais Bulles to display his designs—a bubble house studded with a thousand windows designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag. The retro-futurist design was as eye-catching as his designs.
Rei Kawakubo
Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons studied fine arts and literature at Keio University. Her aesthetic has been influenced heavily by Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Her 2015 show was a reflection of that inspiration.
Colour and patterns were nixed to ensure that form transcended other considerations. It isn't surprising to note that Kawakubo has always designed clothes that look more like structures as opposed to garments.
Pharrell Williams
Renaissance man Williams may be better known for his 'Happy' disposition, the musician has been dabbling in different disciplines. Despite no formal training in architecture or fashion design, Williams has teamed up with the late architect Zaha Hadid for both art forms. The duo has designed prefab houses and Adidas trainers together.
Their innovative reinterpretation of the classic trainer's shell toe seems to be influenced by architecture. Williams also serves as the creative director of Bionic Yarn, a fashion startup that makes clothes from recycled ocean plastic. A strong focus on materials seems to suggest a strong architectural influence.
Gustavo Lins
After obtaining a master's degree in architecture, Brazilian designer Lins started his fashion career as a pattern maker. He went on to work for some of the stalwarts in the fashion industry—John Galliano, Kenzo, Louis Vuitton, and Jean Paul Gaultier, before starting his own line, called l'Atelier Gustavolins, in 2003.
Lins' drapery and fluid cuts bear a strong architectural influence. His biggest inspiration? Japanese architecture. More specifically, tatami.
Kanye West
Believe it or not, Kanye West's fashion line Yeezy is influenced by architecture. The rapper has long been interested in the discipline, having collaborated with Rem Koolhaas to create a seven-screen performance pavilion for the Cannes Film Festival.
The fashion line's emphasis on cut and angles are evidence enough of West's interest in architecture, coupled with his dedication to fashion.
Fashion and architecture should intersect more often. They're both art rooted in form and function.
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