You either love them or hate them, which can say a lot about your approach to fashion. Most avant-garde designers are encouraged to make their pieces wearable so that avant-garde goes beyond the eyes that follow the runway. Essentially a style that pushes the boundaries of fashion, it provides us with a glimpse of the future.
It’s not always fantastical, but it creates the fantasy of an alternate universe wherein fashion is envisioned in a more novel sense. Avant-garde is a style that provides escapism entwined with innovation, so it’s no wonder that it is sought after. For others, avant-garde provides onlookers with a glimpse into the future of fashion. But is there a pattern?
This question can and should be asked because every other form of fashion has defining features. So are there signs to look for before identifying a garment as avant-garde? Or are pieces identified as avant-garde if they don’t tick any of the other boxes?
Unconventional Methods
Avant-Garde is not solely meant to wow a crowd. It incorporates new methods of transforming fashion into something beyond the norm, which could result from relevant issues in society. It is a form of fashion that evokes not just emotion but inspiration as well. Avant-garde fashion pushes beyond conventional fabrics, materials, and silhouettes. Some designers use fabrics or materials in their pieces that might not be conventionally flowy or commonly found in a fabric shop. This is often done to allow the designer to create a social statement and showcase their capabilities as skilled craftsmen.
As avant-garde fashion is loosely defined as designs in the industry that is unconventional, there are various forms that it can take. There’s contemporary avant-garde, which is constantly changing based on the current state of fashion. At the same time, there are other forms like street avant-garde, gender-fluid avant-garde, and experimental avant-garde.
Ultimately, these styles are categorized to be unconventional, whether in the overall design or in the process of making the pieces. It won’t be surprising that as newer materials are constantly fabricated, designers will always find creative ways to incorporate them into their work. 3D printing alone is already pushing designs beyond their limits.
Minimalism in Avant-garde
A rising trend of minimalism calls avant-garde with a message that says “less is more.” Although it’s not entirely a new phrase, it is up to the designers whether they’ll incorporate minimalism in avant-garde fashion. Deciding to ride the wave of minimalism can help push some designers into redefining what avant-garde means for them. A trending style paired with a goal for innovation can even make a blank canvas more evocative for anyone watching. It’s not a new thing for designers to incorporate a simple design in their work to allow room for certain pieces to stand out.
Well-defined Editorials
Editorials can help alleviate the message of the designers into something beyond the runway. Some fashion photography services cater to the needs of directors who have a vision for their interpretation of the piece and help designers discover a new facet of their creation.
The lighting, the styling, and the direction of the overall shoot are all factors that designers can consider, especially if they intend to make an impactful editorial when their design is complete. Not all fashion is editorial, so it’s one crucial thing that designers keep in mind when they’re working on their sketches or when they’re curating fabric and materials.
Considering how technology has advanced, well-defined editorials can be the next path that avant-garde takes as designers are always keen on using new programs and equipment in their designs.
Sustainability in Avant-garde
As unconventional materials are the norm in avant-garde, considerations for sustainability help designers innovate new fabric and materials in their work. More designers want to delve into sustainability to help their brand grow. Along with minimalism, it’s another trend in social consumerism, wherein the story behind what people buy matters.
Using sustainability in the marketing of avant-garde fashion is not difficult when they’re practically wearable sculptures that make a statement. There is a good chance that wearable and sustainable avant-garde fashion can be the industry’s future as consumers become more aware of the impact fast fashion has on the environment.
Even though avant-garde is unconventional and always seems to have a wow factor, there is a common thread among them in that they are designed by weavers of a human story. There is a shared identity in avant-garde pieces, and how you interpret them will always be personal. But how it reaches your purview and its conception before then will always be part of the human narrative.
