In a world where H&M and Uniqlo and Zara and Top Shop (and a million other labels) are able to recreate runway trends at a fraction of the price with two-week turnaround times, what’s left for the high end designer? The Financial Times says it’s all in the fabric. Designers such as Prada and Balenciaga are now focusing heavily on textiles as a way to differentiate themselves from the mass of cheaply made but on-trend labels. Bringing back long forgotten craftsmanship and experimenting with revolutionary techniques, designers are taking a stand and trying desperately to save face.
Prints, texture and rich embellishment were other avenues of exploration. Dries Van Noten revisited a 1920s printing technique created by Swiss inventor Orbis Wirth. With producers Jakob Schlaepfer, the label created incredible marble-ised patterns using an elaborate system of printing layers of coloured wax from a cylinder on to wet fabric. Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga meanwhile (remember the chain-mail leggings from last year?) drew gasps for his collection of dresses covered in elaborate hand-painted landscapes and embellishments and varnished latex.
Balmain explored fine chain-mail – that looked almost like lamé – and Fendi even developed a technique for applying gold to fur, by heating 24-carat gold and spraying it on to surface tips. And that’s not counting Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prorsum, who created whole skirts from miniature suede sequins.
Can the newfound focus on quality, craftsmanship, and uniqueness in textile save the high end fashion industry?
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‘Designers such as Prada and Balenciaga are now focusing heavily on textiles as a way to differentiate themselves from the mass of cheaply made but on-trend labels.’
- I am no expert in clothes or fashion, but this makes good sense to me. I think that the quality of the fabric, from my own point of view, is a strong reason for my decision to buy a piece of clothing or not. Am sure it must be the same for others too.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Innovation in fabric evolves season after season, it’s not a new phenomenon. Obviously new developments always occur but I would not directly link them to the availability of knock-offs. Anyone in the industry who attends Premiere Vision knows that there are fabric houses that have been around for decades, working with major labels and that there is certainly a level of exclusive development that takes place for high-end designers like the ones mentioned in the article. Technology has lead to advancements in fabric development and with that technology, knock-offs are able to imitate high-end techniques better and faster than every before. Further to that, the high-end customer will always strive for designer originals whether or not replicas are available at high street retailers.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Can the newfound focus on quality, craftsmanship, and uniqueness in textile save the high end fashion industry?
Personally, I’m really happy to see craftsmanship be put to the challenge – when the pressure’s on there’s space for pure magic.
Does it need saving? If there’s a market for people to be different… unique fabrics by unique people for unique people…. will be a continual requirement. Whether the industry survives in it’s current dinosauric fashion is a completely different question.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:26 am