An art movement is a specific period characterized by artists who are driven towards a common goal. The fashion industry has made numerous attempts over the years to associate itself with visual arts and popular artists (The Art Story Foundation, 2016). The collaboration between artists and fashion is mutually beneficial for both parties. Fashion applies art more than most practices in the world to reach a wider and a more popular audience. These collaborations have seen the fashion design industry evolve, innovate and provoke its numerous designs and collections (Blechman, 2013). These collaborations have further been encouraged by common goals by both parties over the years. The fashion design industry has undergone numerous transformations over the years. The popular culture is one of the most remarkable art movements in fashion design industry. The popular culture has close ties with celebrity icons and mainstream media which make it widely accessible to the masses who feel the need to define their social identities.
Art and fashion are closely linked together, and it is hard to have one without the other. Fashion design is concerned with the creation of creative wear for both female and males (Marinica, 2012). Artists and fashion designers have continued to work closely over the years. These collaborations date back to the 1930’s in what was widely referred to as the Italian fashion (Blechman, 2013). Some great designs which involved the combination of efforts from both classes include the organza dress of 1937, the tear dress of 1938 and shoe hat of 1937. Most designers describe fashion design as an art and not a profession.
The most remarkable era of the fashion design industry was in the 1960’s with the evolution of what was widely known as the pop culture. The movement was a rebellion of the popular artists who were against traditional art which was said to be dominated by abstractness. Artists in the 1960’s used art as a reflection of the environment including their personalities and to them anything including media could be used as an art (Blechman, 2013). At around the same period fashion designers were seeking to see that fashion becomes democratized and could move beyond the confines of the elite art. The fashion designers sought inspiration from the popular culture (MoMA, n.d.). These goals saw the artist of the popular culture and the fashion designers of the time brought together by similar goals. Both groups of people sought to make their creations widely available to the public and get rid of the traditional forms of art and design.
Fashion magazines became very popular at around that period with many fashion designers seeking careers as illustrators for various fashion magazines. This helped both groups of people showcase their work through the use of the print media (Warhol, 2015). Fashion designers embraced Hollywood and others fashion icons to display their work to the public. Fashion magazines and designing companies acknowledged the need to collaborate with artists in their business and they used these artists in the creation of their designs to enhance imagery of their collection and creations (Blechman, 2013).
The American popular culture had a universal impact on the youth who had a lot of disposable income at the time. Prosperity was a common aspect amongst the people during this period, and the masses felt the need to express their tastes and desires with the use of fashion and art. It was used to define the social culture and identity of the people (English, 2013). Popular music has a great impact on the fashion and design industry. One of the designs of the time is the haute couture which did not only dress those who were in high political ranks but also dressed celebrities in the music industry.
The American popular culture influenced many communities across the globe which assisted them transit from harsh times. For instance, the Japanese embraced the American popular culture after the end of the war, which enabled them to express their true identity. The popular culture was greatly influenced and enhanced with the emergence of the mainstream media with the innovation of the television (Goncalves, 2016). Movies which were based upon the popular culture gained a lot of popularity among the masses which assisted the popular culture sell itself to the public. The culture also saw fashion designers utilize readily available and affordable materials which meant that most people could afford their creations. Cinema played a great role in influencing the future of the fashion design industry in the 1960’s (English, 2013). The culture was concerned with structured lifestyles in the society and taste preferences for the consumer. Popular culture design has been used since by different subcultures to represent their identity and affiliation to certain cultures and groups. The emergence of the computer age further reinforced the strong basis of the popular culture as well as the close ties between the American popular icons and celebrity icons.
Entry of fashion design into the museum was also another milestone for the fashion design industry. Exhibits became more common in the 1980’s with most fashion designers holding events to display their art and creations to the public (Blechman, 2013). At this point, fashion designers had managed to ensure that the fashion design industry had become recognized as a formal means of cultural expression. Museums have since organized fashion designs exhibitions to represent different themes which affect our current society.
Exhibits of fashion design creation and collection at museums saw fashion designers become closer to the practice of art. Avant-garde designers who traced the practice from the 1960’s embraced the use of other materials in the creation of art. These materials included the use of plastics and metal in the creation of art fashion designs (Blechman, 2013). Fashion designs were inspired by various concepts, and the commercials aspect was never a source of their motivation. Concept became the basis of the creations in the fashion art design industry.
The 1990’s saw the fashion design industry advance from exhibitions at museums to a new era of runway fashion exhibits. Shows both at museums and runaways became the new means for the fashion designers to express themselves to the world (Friedman, 2016). Fashion designers were, however, keen to distinguish themselves from commercial affiliations and sought to remain so by incorporating performance art into their practice. During the 80’s, artists sought for inspiration from fashion marketing and fashion (Blechman, 2013). This was achieved with the use of art to convey certain messages in the designs to the public. Fashion and art have seen more collaborations form over the years, and the trend is not likely to go away anytime soon. A Recent collaboration between an artist and fashion designers involved the artist Stephen Sprouse and Marc jobs in 2001 which saw the creation of graffiti covered handbags.
In conclusion, the American popular culture of the 1990’s is a remarkable art movement in the fashion art design industry which was enhanced by the emergence of movies, cinemas and celebrity icons. The culture was widely embraced all over the world by people who felt the need to express their social identities to the world. The culture was dominant due to the ability by designers to popularize their designs through television. Another major contribution was made by the prosperity that was experienced at the time by the masses. Fashion designers and artists were driven by similar goals to shift from the traditional ways. The fashion designers also used cheap and easily available materials which ensured that most people could afford the collections. The art movement is closely linked with popular music and is closely influenced by celebrity icons in the music industry to date.
References
Blechman, M. (2013, February 7). A History of Art and Collaborations. Artspace. Retrieved from http://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/art_market/art_101_art_and_fashion_collaborations-5804
English, B. (2013). A cultural history of fashion in the 20th and 21st centuries : from catwalk to sidewalk. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
Friedman, V. (2016, May 23). MoMA Finally Embraces Fashion With PLans for "Is Fashion Modern?". New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/21/fashion/moma-finally-embraces-fashion-with-plans-for-is-fashion-modern.html?_r=0
Goncalves, G. (2016). Pop Art - The Social Influences of Pop Art on Artists. Retrieved from Academia: http://www.academia.edu/2033805/Pop_Art_-_The_Social_Influences_of_Pop_Art_on_Artists
Marinica, A. (2012, January 16). 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Pop Art & Graphic Design. Retrieved from Specky boy design magazine: https://speckyboy.com/2012/01/16/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-pop-art-graphic-design/
MoMA. (n.d.). MoMA Learning. Retrieved from MoMa: https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/pop-art
The Art Story Foundation. (2016). Art Nouveau. Retrieved from http://www.theartstory.org/movement-art-nouveau.htm
Warhol, A. (2015). Pop Art. Retrieved from Tate: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/pop-art
