A Rendezvous of Fashion and Art: Iconic Artist Collaborations

“The difference between fashion and art is that fashion is art in movement.” – Carolina Herrera

Fashion and art – two mesmerizing worlds that seem to be completely different from one another, when, in reality, they fit together like puzzle pieces.

Fashion in itself is art – only painted on textiles instead of a canvas. And when fashion and art collide, the results are often breathtaking.

From Louis Vuitton’s nutty collections to apparel inspired by some of the greatest painters of all time, Elements Productions looks back at some of the most iconic fashion-meets-art collaborations.

Alexander McQueen and Damien Hirst

When Alexander McQueen’s signature skull design met Damien Hirst’s controversial art style, the bizarre and very eye-catching fashion collection was born.

Hirst’s Entomology paintings made their way to McQueen’s scarves, creating a skull symbol out of colorful butterflies and other insects. Whether you find it appealing or not, you have to admit it captures attention.

Louis Vuitton and Richard Prince

The collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Richard Prince for the Spring/Summer 2008 collection was all everyone talked about at the time.

Pulling inspiration from Prince’s Nurse paintings, LV designed see-through dresses looking like nurse uniforms. Before you think of something kinky – it was all very grounded, like Vuitton always is.

The collection included bags with the iconic LV monogram too, which also had Prince’s work infused all over.

Yeezy (Kanye West) and Vanessa Beecroft

Vanessa Beecroft is famous for her contemporary art, fashion photography, and fashion videography, sometimes including nude models and performers.

Her collaboration with Kanye West on his Yeezy Season 2 collection was no different. They put on quite an interesting runway show with hundreds of performance artists dressed in monochrome, perfectly capturing Beecroft’s style that emphasizes nudes while keeping West’s military look.

Salvador Dalí and Elsa Schiaparelli

Back in 1937, Dalí and Schiaparelli created a blueprint for collaborations between fashion designers and artists. Schiaparelli asked her surrealist friend to draw her a lobster for an evening dress, and the result was the famous Lobster dress.

Being a bit controversial, it revolutionized fashion, as it represented a statement of women exploring their sexuality. It is definitely one of the most iconic dresses of the ‘30s, perhaps even the entire 19th century.

Yves Saint Laurent and Van Gogh

YSL always finds ways to infuse art into his designs. In 1988, he paid homage to Van Gogh, designing jackets inspired by ,Sunflowers and ,Irises, two of the most famous Dutch artist’s paintings.

They were incredibly detailed, bold, playful, elegant, and quite expensive. No wonder, since every jacket required more than 600 hours of work. Talk about dedication to art!

Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton doesn’t fail to impress with crazed, unconventional collections. This time, LV got together with Jeff Koons, a contemporary artist known for his pop-culture sculptures

They brought Koons’ recreations of famous masterpieces to a quirky bag collection, creating prints with Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Wheat Fields and Cypresses, Titan’s Mars, Ruben’s Tiger Hunt, and Fragonard’s Girl with a Dog, and including Koons’ signature rabbit motif.

Raf Simons and Robert Mapplethorpe

We’re quite happy that Mapplethorpe’s stunning black-and-white photography has made its way into fashion. Raf Simons’ Spring 2017 menswear collection depicted Mapplethorpe’s timeless photography.

This marvelous collaboration also resulted in clothing items with prints of Mapplethorpe’s famous portraits. Nothing too out-of-this-world, yet very beautiful and inviting, just like all his photos.

Are you feeling inspired by these spectacular fashion-and-art endeavors? Here at Elements Productions, we specialize in fashion photography and videography and can hook you up with a fantastic fashion photoshoot. Give us a shout, and let’s create outstanding art!

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