Images courtesy of Kenzo, @garycard, Nike and Paul Smith
Introducing the high-impact trend that is moving the fashion industry
2016, thanks to the mercy of time, has finally passed away, and 2017 has come to take its place. With it comes new hope (albeit not founded on much) that things might get better – and while the global political situation is descending into even further shambles – the fashion world looks poised to shake things up.
And the new mode to look out for? Dance! In the last week, several major fashion labels have incorporated dancing as diverse as performance art, hip-hop and acrobatics in order to bolster their brands. This highly exciting multi-disciplinary approach can be seen across both runway collections and promotional videos.
Clothes, even on the runway, are becoming more and more marketed as wearable and functional instead of merely aesthetic. This shows fashion’s increasing awareness — coupled with ethical sourcing, genderqueer models and non-binary clothing — towards making their designs work for all. This increasing democratisation, especially in today’s increasingly divisive world, can only be seen as a welcoming sign.
Below are four examples of how fashion and dance have combined in the last week
Images courtesy of Instagram @theoadams and @garycard
The Rise Of The Star Choreographer
At the forefront of this new trend is club-kid-turned-choreographer Theo Adams. Adams started out on London’s party scene in 2006, when he was just a teenager, with ad-hoc performances at Matthew Stone’s parties. Adams would regularly appear in drag, and pour clubbers vodka from his teapot, or mime on make-shift stages to Whitney Houston songs.
Over the next ten years, the artist developed his niche performance style, making his name at the Late At Tate Show, and in 2016 he returned to the iconic gallery to choreograph a show in response to the painting Veil by Iranian artist Shirazeh Houshiary.
Last week, he made a splash at London Fashion Week Men’s shows, firstly by collaborating with Central Saint Martin’s graduate and club kid Charles Jeffrey – where he choreographed a dazzling show soundtracked by Björk, and secondly, by coordinating his dancers to perform for gender-queer collective Art School’s latest show as a part of Fashion East. The presentation, featuring non-models and non-gender-conforming artists, was a huge success. As Adams succinctly told Dazed: “It’s more interesting than people just standing still for two hours.”
Images courtesy of Paul Smith
The Big Brand Endorsement
It isn’t just up and coming brands that are using dance and fashion to excellent effect. Paul Smith used acrobatic dancers to launch his AW17 PS collection at Pitti Uomo on Wednesday. Combining sportswear and Smith’s own love for cycling, the performance was praised for showcasing bold prints that are as durable as they are fun to wear. Using an upbeat soundtrack from recently deceased heroes David Bowie, George Michael and Prince, his PS presentation in Florence shows how dance has truely entered fashion’s concience. Expect more big names to be following this trend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9dXgRWgq7w
The High Fashion Campaign
Following up on the success of their New Fragrance video, Kenzo has launched a seven-minute long dance video for their SS17 campaign choreographed by Ryan Heffington and directed by Partel Olivia. The video entitled Club Ark Eternal is an homage to dancing, and clubbing as a source of freedom, and a liberating safe space to express yourself.
The Celebrity Video
It was recently announced that FKA Twigs was the new creative director for Nike Women’s Spring Zonal Tights Campaign. The characteristic singer and dancer just released an edgy video collaboration with the brand entitled Do You Believe in More?
The video features 12 athletes, including fencer Miles Chamley-Watson and karate champion Jay Kirton, showing off the power of modern movement, defining sport as a key mode of expression.
FKA Twigs says on the project: “I put together a cast of 12 incredible athletes to show that it’s about what you do in fitness gear. It’s about how you train. It’s about how those things help your movement.” The video features a brand new track from the singer herself.
FASHION: Nathalie Francois
WORDS: Nathalie Francois & Redmond Bacon