Yet controversy on the subject continues. The line between art and fashion is a fine one, say some. The difference between them is irreconcilable, argue others.
Antwerp's Fashion Museum (MoMu) will have you firmly believing in the former. Zooming in on a well-known technique that is growing ever more popular, Unravel: Knitwear in Fashion exposes the different identities of knitwear led by a variety of creative visions throughout the history of fashion. Stepping away from the traditional build-up as a chronological timeline, Unravel mixes historical pieces with original and modern interpretations.
The museum shows us the work of the first knitting machines, iconic pieces from the 1920s and the revolutionary role knitwear played in the 1960s, as well as groundbreaking work by contemporary designers like Sweden's Sandra Backlund, whose knitwear takes on architectural dimensions, Canada's Mark Fast and Flanders' own Martin Margiela, whose deconstructive approach to knitwear could easily have inspired the title of the exhibition.
Typical of the MoMu is a bit of comedy, this time in the form of Angelo Figus' "Supermarket of Style". The Antwerp Academy alumnus and creative director of Italian fashion trade fair Pitti Filati created this knitted world of fashionable objects in 2004, to predict the trends of 2006. One wonders whether he had any idea that the foreboding nature of his work would be such that its technique would not reach the height of its influence until 2011.
Back to the future
Looking into the future is also what the designers on show at the Modemuseum Hasselt did. Alter Nature: The Future That Never Was offers a comprehensive view on the work of Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges, Rudi Gernreich and Paco Rabanne, who were all part of the so-called Space Age '60s. Experimenting with new shapes, materials and technologies, they cast a light on what fashion could be in the future and were a tremendous source of inspiration to the generations of designers that followed them.
Technological innovations have remained a huge influence on the way fashion is shaped and interpreted. Most recently, evolutions in biotechnology have contributed to the discovery of new techniques and materials that take nature and ecology into consideration. The exhibition therefore also showcases more modern work by designers who have incorporated a "greener" vision into their designs, including Britain's Christopher Raeburn, who works with recuperated materials, and English eco-warrior Katharine Hamnett.
Hasselt art centres Z33 and CIAP coincidentally have put together projects examining the way nature influences art, focusing on the ecological and ethical philosophies of many contemporary designers. Kenneth Ramaekers, curator of the fashion museum, considers both projects a window on the same theme.
"We've supported each other's initiatives, and we've worked together to come out stronger. I think for visitors it's so much more interesting to be able to look at the bigger picture."
And there is even more to admire in Hasselt at the moment, as the main hall of the fashion museum is dedicated to My Way, a showcase of the extravagant work of Antwerp jewellery designer Daniël Von Weinberger. "Daniël works on the border between art, design and fashion," says Ramaekers. "His creations are therefore often included in contemporary art museums."
Von Weinberger was given carte blanche to transform the main hall into his fairytale- like universe, filled with his colourful trademark felt designs. Ramaekers perfectly sums it up: "He is a most extraordinary artist."
Pictured: From the Skinthetic Redux series by New York design duo KnoWear
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