Essay, Research Paper: Contemporary Design

Contemporary design is usually client based. The designer usually focuses on the presentation of ideas and statements through the collection rather than designing for any specific occasion. Contemporary design is more conceptual, because of this I am going to concentrate on the concepts and imagery associated with the idea of modern, futuristic clothing. As I begin to think about this I will have to consider the client. Designers these days rely on celebrities, socialites and “fashion icons” to publicise their clothing. For example, a lesser known designer could shoot to fame should an A-list celebrity wear one of their creations to a party or premier. Recently, fashion has seen many designers using recognised celebrities as models in their catwalk shows, favouring them over professionals, these celebrities possess the high public profile needed to gain much needed publicity.
Some well known designers (such as Alexander McQueen) sight celebrities as their “muse” behind their work. This is no new idea, glamorous women have always been desirable in the world of fashion, almost as if their beauty is an accessory in itself.
In recent years fashion has seen a change in the attitudes towards beauty and convention. Models have become less and less like the glamorous Hollywood film stars and all things quirky have become desirable. It seems that personal imperfections are the only real individuality we have in the age where fashion has become accessible to everyone. Designers are less concerned with the enhancement of beauty and seem to aim to shock audiences with avant garde creations as catwalk shows become less “a collection of clothes” and more “a piece of theatre”. Favoured by McQueen ,Westwood and Hussein Chalayan these designers realise the importance of a catwalk show as often their own label creations are so extreme and conceptual that this is the only way they will become recognised. This way, even the most “way out” designs can gain as much publicity as the more conventional “celebrity fashion”.
The “wow factor” is all important in modern design. I want to create something that stands out from the more conventional clothing so obviously I am not concerned with the everyday wear ability of the garment. The overall presentation of the concept is more important to me. Because of this I am hoping to have a slot in our school fashion show next year. This will be as big a part of my project as any, as it will hopefully show my ideas in situ.
At this point I am considering models to make my clothing for, I am a strong believer in clothing being for the individual and the looks will only be as effective as the people who wear them. Here I have researched the role of the celebrity in fashion. My next steps will be to see how the modern designs I am looking at are watered down to be more accessible for high street stores.


Word Count: 486