The Future of Fashion
In our current era of hyper-dimensional reality, the once clearly defined boundaries between virtuality and reality are blurring to the point of disappearance altogether. Like many other aspects of our life, fashion is no longer solely constrained to the physical realm. Snapchat bitjmojis, digital rendering programs, and yes, even Fortnite skins are all examples of fashion transcending previous physical limits. Artists, designers, models, and almost every creative has been implementing technology and digital media in their creative process, expanding the scope for innovation and creation.
Nusi Quero
(Left: Luna in a corset and adornments for NUSI QUERO 2021; Center: Digitally designed headgear; Right: Kylie Jenner for NUSI QUERO 2021)
Better known as the “alien computer brain” behind Grimes’s newest intricate back tattoo, Nusi Quero is one of the modern designers breaking away from the mold of traditional fashion design. Flirting between virtual and visceral, Quero creates digital designs which later transform into 3D-rendered couture pieces. Beginning with a virtual skeleton based on the anatomy of real human bodies, digitally rendered brush strokes are carefully manipulated to mimic fabric, reminiscent of Quero’s humble beginnings of constructing pieces out of scrap metal, super glue, and cheap jewelry. Utilizing various digital software as the main tool for creation, Quero is one of the many designers who hope to shift fashion away from being mass-produced, posing a possible solution to fashion’s overproduction problem. Unlike traditional couture, the finalized designs exist in their entirety as a digital product. These products are not intended to be paraded down a runway or mass-produced and commercialized.
For personally-commissioned pieces, the client’s exact measurements and body are digitally rendered, with virtual reality technology allowing them to try on the garments without actually wearing the product. This process not only embodies the symbiotic relationship between the body and technology, but also ensures that the final 3d printed product doesn’t result in the production of waste or scraps. The days of sketching on paper, wearing pencils down to a stump, and meticulously pleating fabric by hand are gone. Pushing the boundaries of identity and self-expression, technology allows an extreme expansion to the world of tactile crafts, allowing designers to be more flexible and spontaneous in their experimentation with materials, shapes, silhouettes, and forms without restrictions of traditional design. By challenging the very idea of fashion, Quero’s work intends to be viewed as “wearable art.” Although it can be worn, it’s not the defining characteristic of what constitutes fashion.
ITCC, Interconnect Cloud
(Left: ITCC 3D molded slipper 2019; Right: ITCC SS21 “Captor Lola” Ruffled Sandals)
Similar to Nusi Quero, Interconnect Cloud is working to create a platform that bridges the gap between what is virtual and what is reality. The cyberpunk brand is focused on the development of a post-human society, which reimagines the relationship between humans and technology. With online look books that feature entirely digital models and garments, the brand takes a playful approach towards commenting on the increasingly passive role that humansactually play in the creative process. A scary but necessary thought, what exactly will the world of design look like when the human touch becomes obsolete? By creating quirky and purposefully unsightly items, ITCC strays away from what is contemporarily appropriate, and questions what high fashion really is. Placing themselves in an almost apocalyptic reality that is a wonder to watch unfold in real-time, ITCC is a prime example of how technology is allowing creatives to take a unique approach at pushing the boundaries of fashion. To me, the brand seems like the fashion equivalent of your best friend starting a podcast— it's a little bit of a trainwreck but thought-provoking in the best way possible, and you’ll tune in every week to make sure you never miss an update.
Iris Van Herpen
(Left: Iris Van Herpen SENSORY SEAS Collection; Right: Lady Gaga for the CHROMATICA album release)
As futuristic as the current technological revolution may seem, the experimental connections between the realms of fashion and technology can be traced back all the way to the 2000s, with one of the most notable pioneers being Iris Van Herpen. As early as 2007, Van Herpen was experimenting with sustainable alternatives to the traditional clothing-making process, emphasizing the importance of slow fashion through haute couture.
With the main goal of the House of Iris Van Herpen being sustainable consumption, each piece echoes this by incorporating elements reminiscent of organically occurring movements that exist in nature. Symbiosis to sound waves, biomimicry to brain neurons, each stimulus from the natural world is a reminder of both the fragility and possibilities provided by nature. Personally, each piece also acts as a reminder to heal your inner child, with inspirations stemming from a childlike curiosity and appreciation for the natural world—What would it feel if I could live with the fish under the ocean, or soar to the highest points of the earth like a bird?
Recent works from The House continue to push the boundaries of fashion by interweaving 3D printing and laser cutting technology with traditional handwork such as embroidery, with each piece exploring new forms of meaningful and conscious fashion choices. Some of these iconic and groundbreaking designs have even been worn by Kylie Jenner, Viola Davis, Miley Cyrus, Céline Dion, and Björk, to name just a few. By presenting subjects ranging from flowers to fungi to flounders, Iris Van Herpen makes one question the irony behind celebrating nature through art that inevitably destroys it.
The technological revolution within fashion and couture is the poetic antithesis of the world we live in today. In a society where everyone seems to always be in search of the next big thing, rushing to keep up with trends that change in the blink of an eye, designers like Nusi Quero, ITCC, and Iris Van Herpen act as constant reminders to take a deep breath and a step back. With fashion now transcending the constraints of the physical realm, the heart of the technological revolution consists of an appreciation for nature, sustainability, and childlike curiosity. The current era of fashion is one of the most innovative and consequential thus far, with technology having a significant impact on almost every part of the design and production processes. And most excitingly, this is just the beginning.
