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gallery
November 29, 2015

Revisit the Best Fashion–Art World Collaborations

By Stephanie Eckardt

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Photo: Melvin Sokolsky / Courtesy of Art + Fashion: Collaborations and Connections between Icons by E.P. Cutler and Julien Tomasello, published by Chronicle Books 2015

Back in 1951, Cecil Beaton drew vitriol when he incorporated Jackson Pollock paintings into one of his Vogue fashion spreads, apparently having relegated them to backdrops. That line between art and fashion has increasingly faded — creating designs as iconic as Piet Mondrian’s ’60s frocks for Yves Saint Laurent in the process. Master collaborator Rei Kawakubo might best encompass the reasons why: Her partnerships can be extremely organic, like when she adapted her swollen spring/summer 1997 collection for a Merce Cunningham dance after a sudden “intuitive feeling that it could become dancers’ clothes as well.”

But with 15 labels under her belt, Kawakubo is also looking for customers, and there’s no doubt that projects like her line of Comme des Garcons Play T-shirts and tote bags with Simpsons illustrator Matt Groening serve to draw a new type of exposure. Other houses have turned to art to make the finances more bearable, too — Bottega Veneta has practically turned their ad campaigns into an art form in themselves.

Fashion historians E. P. Cutler and Julien Tomasello have highlighted 25 of the best artist-designer collaborations in Art + Fashion: Collaborations and Connections Between Icons, a new book that stretches from Elsa Schiaparelli’s dresses with Salvador Dalí’s lobsters in 1935 to today’s Prada store along a deserted highway in Marfa, Texas. Click through the slideshow to see those and more, including Edward Scissorhands, Nick Cave, and Jeff Koons.

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1 / 13 Photos
Piet Mondrian + Yves Saint Laurent A Mondrian dress in wool characterized by blue, red, and yellow color fields divided by bold black lines. From... Piet Mondrian + Yves Saint Laurent A Mondrian dress in wool characterized by blue, red, and yellow color fields divided by bold black lines. From Yves Saint Laurent's 1965 F/W Collection.  Photo: Rights Managed/Copyright (c) Mary Evans Picture Library 2008
Melvin Sokolsky + Harper's Bazaar Named the most iconic fashion image in the last 100 years by the Victoria & Albert Museum, Melivn Sokolsky... Melvin Sokolsky + Harper's Bazaar Named the most iconic fashion image in the last 100 years by the Victoria & Albert Museum, Melivn Sokolsky's On The Siene, featuring model Simone D'Aillencourt, from his fashion editorial shoot Bubble, appearing in the March 1963 issue of Harper's Bazaar.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
Tim Burton + Tim Walker Tricks and Treats fashion editorial photographed by Tim Walker, appearing in the October 2009 issue of Harper's Bazaar. ... Tim Burton + Tim Walker Tricks and Treats fashion editorial photographed by Tim Walker, appearing in the October 2009 issue of Harper's Bazaar. Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
Merce Cunningham + Rei Kawakubo The Merce Cunningham Dance Company performs Scenario wearing costumes designed by Rei Kawakubo. Paris Opera House... Merce Cunningham + Rei Kawakubo The Merce Cunningham Dance Company performs Scenario wearing costumes designed by Rei Kawakubo. Paris Opera House, 1998.  Photo: Jacques Moatti/© j.moatti
Yasumasa Morimura + Issey Miyake A Yasumasa Morimura garment from the Issey Miyake Pleats Please Guest Artist Series No 1, screenprinted and heat... Yasumasa Morimura + Issey Miyake A Yasumasa Morimura garment from the Issey Miyake Pleats Please Guest Artist Series No 1, screenprinted and heat-set pleated polyester, knit F/W 1996.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
Alex Prager + Bottega Veneta Models Karolina Kurkova and Santiago Montero star in the Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2011 print campaign photograph... Alex Prager + Bottega Veneta Models Karolina Kurkova and Santiago Montero star in the Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2011 print campaign photographed by artist Alex Prager.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
Elmgreen & Dragset + Prada The Prada Marfa art installation along US Highway 90 in the Chihuahuan desert between Van Horn and Valentine, Texa... Elmgreen & Dragset + Prada The Prada Marfa art installation along US Highway 90 in the Chihuahuan desert between Van Horn and Valentine, Texas created by artists Elmgreen and Dragset.  Photo: Al Argueta / Alamy/© Al Argueta / Alamy
Jeff Koons + Stella McCartney A fashion photograph of a peplum and striped gown collaboration between British designer Stella McCartney and conte... Jeff Koons + Stella McCartney A fashion photograph of a peplum and striped gown collaboration between British designer Stella McCartney and contemporary artist Jeff Koons — complete with Koons' stainless steel rabbit pendant necklaces, appearing in the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of AnOther magazine, as part of its Dress Art Project.  Photo: Richard Burbridge/© Richard Burbridge / Art + Commerce
Matt Groening + Comme des Garçons Play Short-sleeved t-shirts from the Matt Groening for Comme des Garcons 2011 Binky & Sheba PLAY col... Matt Groening + Comme des Garçons Play Short-sleeved t-shirts from the Matt Groening for Comme des Garcons 2011 Binky & Sheba PLAY collection, featuring characters from Groening's Life in Hell comic strip.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
Nick Cave + Raymond Meier Nick Cave photographed inside his Soundsuit with an Yves Saint Laurent fox-and-suede shoulder bag.   Photo: © Raym... Nick Cave + Raymond Meier Nick Cave photographed inside his Soundsuit with an Yves Saint Laurent fox-and-suede shoulder bag.   Photo: © Raymond Meier
Wing Shya + Rodarte A still from the 2010 Rodarte and Joyce Maggie Cheung film created by Wing Shya.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations a... Wing Shya + Rodarte A still from the 2010 Rodarte and Joyce Maggie Cheung film created by Wing Shya.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
Tim Roeloffs + Versace A model wears a yellow dress adorned with collage by Dutch artist Tim Roeloffs for the Versace Fall/Winter 2008 Women's Re... Tim Roeloffs + Versace A model wears a yellow dress adorned with collage by Dutch artist Tim Roeloffs for the Versace Fall/Winter 2008 Women's Ready-to-Wear collection.  Photo: © Kai Z Feng
John Chamberlain + Mary Katrantzou A model displays a gown created from colored and crystalized paint cans during the finale of the John Chamberl... John Chamberlain + Mary Katrantzou A model displays a gown created from colored and crystalized paint cans during the finale of the John Chamberlain-inspired collection during the Mary Katrantzou Sp/S 2012 RTW runway presentation.  Photo: Art + Fashion: Collaborations an
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