Clothing often expresses views and moods along with personal style. For designers, it’s often a lot more than that. It’s a way to express strong opinions as well as creativity through their designs, much like a form of art. Here are four ways designers translated a sense of freedom that was inspiring, to say the least.
Dior
Dior has been a history-making fashion house right from its inception. The brand’s founder, designer Christian Dior’s iconic “New Look” is a silhouette of relevance even today. One of the label’s more recent collections from 2016, designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, included one of the most talked-about and popular looks, a maxi skirt with a T-shirt that said “We Should All Be Feminists”. The slogan, which was the title of Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s manifesto, was an instant assertion of the designer’s support for the cause that is directed towards gender equality and women’s rights. The simple T-shirt gave women all over a sense of freedom to support the cause openly, while still making a style statement.
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Yves Saint Laurent
The iconic Le Smoking tuxedo suit designed by couturier Yves Saint Laurent broke boundaries that were beyond just dressing and fashion. The tuxedo suit was one of the first of its kind, being a mix of elements from men’s and women’s clothing. The pinstriped pantsuit gave way to a more gender-free, androgynous sense of style, allowing women to feel free to dress more comfortably as they like, whilst expressing power and style.
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Alexander McQueen
Fashion designer Alexander McQueen’s creations are one of the most coveted in the world. One such creation was a set of prosthetic legs he made for Paralympic athlete and double amputee, Aimee Mullins. McQueen had Mullins open his thirteenth show in 1999, dressed in a wooden style corset and the intricately carved, custom made prosthetic legs. The runway was so far a place meant for models and showstoppers, whereas McQueen ended up breaking the stereotype of adaptive fashion being boring.
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Chanel
It’s no secret that designer Coco Chanel is one of the most brilliant ones of all time. The designer is also responsible for making one of the most monumental changes in the way women dress. She turned black from a colour of mourning to one that’s most worn today, often considered sexy and attractive. She also revolutionized a silhouette free from corsets, most popular at the time, using her iconic little black dress.
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