Hi Guys,
New week, new food for thought!
And today, I thought of Tom Ford. Being in Paris doesn’t help, the French aren’t too fond of his vision of fashion, to say the least. Because in the country of Haute Couture, fashion is nearly considered as an art. And although it’s indeniable that Paris gave birth to a few of the best fashion designers of the planet, I cannot help admiring the extremely pragmatic and Customer focussed way Tom Ford designs.
He cares about his customers, he’s very aware of the way the pieces are used, worn and consumed. And he designs them in order to best fit in.
It works all the time and it looks fabulous.
So let’s learn out of it!
Great week everyone.
Depends on what the individual considers “art”. There is high and low “art”, commercial “art” and industrial “art”. Art is anything that uplifts the spirits of the viewer. Or, in the case of fashion, the wearer. Tom Ford is an artist…of wearables. Even the Parthenon and the Mona Lisa were originally created to be “used” and eventually “discarded” (i.e. run their course of functionality.) Nothing is made to last forever. Any artist who thinks otherwise is a fool.
Dear Dominic, thanks a lot for your answer. I like it very much, it is very cleverly put since your definition of art covers all sorts of functionality. I think with your comment, the debate just shifted to “is art meant to be used” or even “useful”? A philosophy classic…:)
Art for art’s (l’art pour l’art) is an antiquated Western European notion that still informs the world of “fine arts” today. It proposes that the intrinsic value of art (the only “true” art worthy of the name) has no didactic, moral, or utilitarian function. It exists solely for its (aesthetic) self. The work I do (fashion illustration) is more properly referred to as one of the “applied arts”. But it’s still Art to me…
And I agree with you. I like your fashion illustrations and in my opinion, it is art. Great work!