How Street Inspires Fashion and the Debate on Whether Fashion is an Art Form

This article explores the influence of street on fashion and the debate on whether fashion can be considered an art form. It discusses how street style inspires fashion and the creative aspect of fashion. The article also provides examples of how street has inspired fashion designers and brands. Subject: Fashion Design

Running head: FASHION DESIGN
Fashion Design
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

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1. How does the street inspire style?
Fashion is a relative term and means different things to different people. Let’s assume
Fashion means latest, this could be in terms of style, technology or any other aspect of the
society that impacts the daily lives of the people. The fashion industry in the world is large
market place and there are a number of players are in the industry that have made a mark and a
number of new and aspiring generation of designers who are enthusiastic to be known in the
industry. The fashion industry is vast and is highly valuable. Every year there are two sets of
fashion weeks spring summer and autumn-winter that are held in four major fashion cities all
over the world: London, Paris, Milan and New York. These fashion weeks set trends for the
coming up for the year. Over the years the influence of street on fashion has increased as more
and more people are looking for fashionable trendy items that not only look good but are also
comfortable. But what is showcase in the fashion shows are very different form the style that is
observed on the streets on a day to day basis. Depending on the culture and the traditions of a
country the garments style, texture and textile differs. Street style or street fashion is a
combination which provides a fresh outlook to style and trend. The style that is seen on the street
has a personality of its own. Street style has over the year has manifested as one of the major
segments in the fashion industry. Street all over the world has a plethora of inspirational values,
the colours of the season changes from one place to another, they type of infrastructure and
texture also inspires the silhouettes and the textiles that are used in to create designs. The
structure of the garments, the cut of the fabric, the colours, the way they are styled with
accessories and the makeup can all be inspired by the street. This is because the elements that are
associated with streets are varied and are diverse. When creating a look the inspiration is drawn

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from what is seen around. The people and their sense of style and individual personality have a
significant impact on the style and the way they choose to dress up.
Streets all over the world have various fashion influences as depending on the culture and
the society and also the kind of climate the streets around manifests itself as a major inspiration
for the designers. The colors of the street, the features of the street, the architecture of the
infrastructure of the street has inspired style. The street is a wide culmination of inspiration a
designer can be inspired by the style of a passerby, or the style the way a window is designed of
an old restaurant may be inspirational. One of the most recent example of the how street inspires
fashion is the spring-summer collection of Gigi Hadid x Tommy Hilfiger. The designer and the
super model duo have served this collection which is inspired by speed. The designs of the
collection are influenced by the patterns and graphics which are seen on racing tracks as the
designer is love for motor sports and the edgy athleisure style of the young model. The race track
patterns and the colour combinations used in the collection are from the tracks, bold use of
yellow, red, blue, white and black is evident as the major colour scheme1.
Fashion weeks take place all over the world and the Seoul fashion week Fall 2018, has
showcased some of the latest trends in street fashion. The statement sunglasses for example has
been observed throughout all the shows most of the design and the tainted effects in the glasses
are inspired by stained glass and architecture form the infrastructure as the shape of the
sunglasses are also different form the regular style.
Another contemporary designer who is inspired by street in the design and vision of
creation is Oliver Rousteing, the creative director of the house of Balmain. Not only in his design
1 Harper's BAZAAR. "Gigi Hadid And Tommy Hilfiger Unveil A New Racing-Inspired Collection". Harper's
BAZAAR, 2018, https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/g15916063/tommy-gigi-collection-spring-2018/.
Accessed 26 May 2018.

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but also in his personal style he uses inspiration from street in order to create chic look. As a
French designer most of his designs are inspired by the style of French women and the grace and
feminity that French and Parisian women bring with their personality and charm2. The
inspiration of lights form the streets of Paris is what he picked up in the collection. With the help
of sequence and beading in the garments along with pattern he has created fashion which is chic
and is extravagant, yet is somewhere inspired form the place that he has grown up in. Most
people associate Parisian street style with that blue jeans, white t-shirt, messy hair and high boots
and red lips for women. But the contemporary designers are picking up intricate details form the
streets to inspire their collection.
Design inspiration from the walls of the historic buildings and the carvings form an
important part of the fashion industry in India, there are a number of historic buildings which are
adorned with intricate carvings and designs which differ form the era and the traditions of the
person who has built it. Designers are heavily inspired by these carvings and incorporate the
same in form of embroidery on the traditional garments like in a saree or lehenga. In Indian
culture embroideries play an important role they tell stories and folklore. Designers like Anita
Dongre and Sabyasachi has been inspired by these carving on the walls to create their design.
Graffiti is a form of street art and has been used by designers to create looks and designs
as well, prints embroideries inspired by the graffiti that is seen on the streets. Several brands like
Levi’s, Marc Jacob etc has collaborated with graffiti artists to launch their collect3, Make up in
the runway is also sometimes inspired by the art that is seen on the streets, these art are mostly
2 WhoWhatWear. "The #1 French-Girl Style Myth That Isn't True, From Olivier Rousteing". Whowhatwear, 2018,
https://www.whowhatwear.com/olivier-rousteing-balmain-interview?ps=tag&tag=olivier-rousteing. Accessed 26
May 2018.
3 Mo Alabi, Special to CNN. "When Street Art Meets Runway Style - CNN". CNN, 2018,
https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/07/living/high-fashion-street-art/index.html. Accessed 26 May 2018.

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inspired by the culture in terms of its theme and colour choice4. This therefore ensures the way
culture inspires fashion and art. In 2012 Jean Paul Gaultier, famous French designer showcased
his graffiti inspired design collection, on the other hand Louis Vuitton has collaborated with
street artist EINE to launch a collection of scarves which is inspired by the style he adapts in this
street art5. Make up is also a major part of style and fashion one of the latest collections of
makeup that is inspired by street is the Estee lauder Poppy Sauvage collection, designed and
conceptualized by the global beauty director. The collection as the name suggests is inspired by
the colours that are seen on the fields of south France. The idea of the collection is a celebration
of spring and summer season in the southern part of France.
Christian Louboutin’s signature trademark of incorporating red soles in the shoes was
because he was dissatisfied with his creation and he wanted something that would make the
creation different from what other were offering. The red paint on the nails of his assistant drew
his attention and inspired the style of red sole in the shoes, this is a classic example of how
simple things like nail paints and colour red can create exception in the fashion world with right
creativity.
The grunge and edgy aspect of fashion is inspired by the street, the way people dress in
order to suit their work and their livelihood has inspired the structure and the design of the
garments and the looks. One of the major example of such a trend is biker jackets, the trend is
adopted by the way the members of the bike gang used to dress up, leather jackets with edgy
design has been adopted by stylists and individuals to amph up their look and style. The design is
4 REGENSDORF, LAURA. "Youtube Star Violette Is About To Invade Your Makeup Bag—Starting With This
Poppy Red Lipstick". Vogue, 2018, https://www.vogue.com/article/violette-estee-lauder-vogue-april-2018. Accessed
26 May 2018.
5 Fashion.telegraph.co.uk. "Louis Vuitton Team Up With Street Artist Eine - Telegraph". Fashion.Telegraph.Co.Uk,
2018, http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG10129919/Louis-Vuitton-team-up-with-street-artist-
Eine.html. Accessed 26 May 2018.

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masculine and has the edge which people use to define and establish their personality. The
history of a biker jacket dates back to the early 20th century as this kind of leather jacket was
inspired and was originally worn on the field of WWII. The popularity of the item grew with
style icons and celebrities sporting the look more and more to associate the idea of being “cool”
with the garment6.
Another example of a trend that is inspired by the street is the mini skirt, which was
designed and conceptualized by Welsh fashion designer Mary Quant. She was inspired by her
favorite care the mini and created fashion which she believed was supposed to be young and
fresh7.
Brands like Gucci and Balenciaga are also inspired by street in their collection starting
from the structure, the cut, the silhouette, prints, embroideries as well as color are inspired from
the street and thus influencing the style of the people as well. The features of the street has
inspired people are the raw essence of the society, the culture which thrives in the society and the
people. People are the most important aspect that inspires the designers in their style. The
personal style of the celebrities off camera has been influencing the style of many. Now with
advancement of technology photographs are available for street style reference all the time.
Models, actors, musicians, style icons etc are some of the people who inspire fashion, their street
looks are captured by photographers or personal selfies or photographs which inspire the people
to mimic their style.
6 The Idle Man. "History Of The Biker Jacket | The Idle Man". The Idle Man, 2018,
https://theidleman.com/manual/advice/history-biker-jacket/. Accessed 26 May 2018.
7 Vogue.it. "Miniskirt - Vogue.It". Vogue.It, 2018,
http://www.vogue.it/en/trends/trend-of-the-day/2012/03/miniskirt. Accessed 26 May 2018.

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2. To what extent can fashion be considered an art form?
Art is the language of mind, which is depends on an individual by the way they express
it. Cooking, music, acting, dancing etc any way in which a person can express the way they feel
and make people decode the message is art. Much like the definition of art the idea of fashion
being art is also subjective to what people consider to be art and what people do not consider art.
Fashion is art in the terms of the way it can help people establish their personality, fashion is art
in the way style and looks are created, most importantly the creativity of fashion is what makes it
a form of art8. The same amount of artistic expression goes into making a cloths or creating a
look as it is in creating a painting or a sculpture. But it can also be said that in order to regard
fashion as art it must be a form of expression of the person wearing it which should be relative to
the environment. Fashion nowadays is defined by a label or the makeup or hairdresser of an
individual rather than expression oneself, thus the fact that art is about expressing the mind does
not prove to be true in today’s world9. People are more and more interested to be please others
and to establish themselves as fashionistas rather than being expressive10. Alternatively, the
creative aspect of fashion cannot be denied, the combining of the right color with the right
texture, structure and cut is important in order to ensure there is a creative aspect associated with
fashion. Each collection that people come up with is new and in sync with the theme that has
inspired the designer. On the other hand, it can be argued that people who design them do not
consume it and therefore it cannot be said to be their art11.
8 Miller, Sanda. "Fashion as art; is fashion art?." Fashion theory11.1 (2007): 25-40.
9 Benton, Angelique. Fashion as Art/Art as Fashion: Is Fashion, Art?. Diss. The Ohio State University, 2012.
10 Rhodes, Zandra, and Alice Rawsthorn. "Is Fashion A True Art Form?". The Guardian, 2003,
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2003/jul/13/art.artsfeatures1. Accessed 26 May 2018.
11Berges, Georges. "In Defense Of Fashion As A True Art Form". Observer, 2017,
http://observer.com/2017/06/fashion-true-art-form/. Accessed 26 May 2018.

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There are a number of authoritative institutions and bodies that establishes fashion as a
form of art like The Victoria and Albert Museum in London and The metropolitan museum of art
in New York. The later will be used as an example which establishes fashion as a form of art
among the people. This is the case study that is going to be analyzed in this answer in order to
establish the thesis statement. Inspired by the way in which the designers create their looks are
art as it is practical and makes it wearable. The editor in chief of Vogue Anna Wintour has
costume design as a permanent collection in the metropolitan museum of arts. This is a major
way of establishing fashion with art. The costume center in the museum is department that
houses the collection of the Costume Institute. She is not only the curator of the wing but is also
one of the chairmen who organize the annual Met gala. Each year a theme is selected by Anna
Wintour and the costume that is displayed in the gallery are opened for public viewing with a
gala dinner. Where celebrities are invited and are requested to dress according to the theme.
Over the years this event has gained lot popularity among the press. The event has also offered
the designers to showcase their creativity and their imagination of the inspiration that is offered.
This establishes the extent of creativity among the people12. The 2018 theme is “Heavenly
Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” is showcased in the costume institute of the Met
over a large areas of 58,600 square feet. It contains 40 liturgical garments and accessories from
the Sistine Chapel Sacristy, many of which have never left the Vatican. The theme that is design
by the fashion icon establishes fashion as an art as the blend of an idea with practical use of the
garments in sync with inspiration. The creativity of the people associated in creating a look based
on a theme brings out an interesting show for the fashion enthusiast. The collection of the
Costume Institute's houses more than 35,000 costumes and accessories which represent seven
12 Metmuseum.org. "The Costume Institute". Metmuseum.Org, 2018,
https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/curatorial-departments/the-costume-institute. Accessed 26 May 2018.

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centuries and five continents fashion and society. There are collection of fashionable dress,
regional costumes, and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to
the current time. Fashion in Art is a guided tour that is offered for the public viewing, the tour
provides and in depth discussion and viewing of pioneers and benchmarking events in the history
of fashion industry and it helps the spectators to understand and examines the fashion trends,
textiles used and structure of the cloths in sync with the aspects of the society in which they were
worn, as costume of a period can tell a lot about the society the used from the ancient through
modern times. The creative imagination of a designer to create a dress and a look makes fashion
a piece of art, this concept has evolved over the years are the idea of dressing up as a part of
necessity has evolved, the way people look and perceive fashion these days have evolved from
being just a way of coving oneself. Fashion is a statement and a state of mind that is expressed
by the way the designer creates a dress or a stylist puts a look together. The Met Gala is an
important event in the fashion industry as it is firstly established and organized by the most
important person in the fashion industry and also because it provides the celebrities and
designers to collaborate and explore their creativity in order to make an impact13. For example:
the theme for 2018 was explored by a number of designers in their own way. Some were inspired
by the stained glass of the church while other by the biblical scriptures and icons. The look that
the guests came up with helped them explore their version of heavenly bodies14.
For individual style, fashion can be termed as art as it helps express their personality and
their imagination. The beauty of fashion is in the manifestation of the sense of creativity in order
to put a look together that brings out the expression which describes a person. Fashion provide
13Metmuseum.org. "Exhibition Overview". Metmuseum.Org, 2018,
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2018/heavenly-bodies. Accessed 26 May 2018.
14 Vail, H.W. "Inside The Met’S “Heavenly Bodies” Exhibit". Vanities, 2018,
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/05/met-exhibit-heavenly-bodies. Accessed 26 May 2018.

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freedom to mix and match, break the rules, blend and blur lines in order to create ideas that is
represents experiences of life. Fine art is also widely used as an inspiration to create fashion.
From big fashion labels to designers collaborate and are inspired by fine art and create garments
in order to expresses their rendition of the art.
Thus from the above discussion it can be seen that the fashion industry depends on the
development of newer and better types of the designs taking into account the needs of the market
and the relative development. In a way it can be considered an expression of the self by an artist
who chooses the best forms of the art for suiting the needs of the consumers. The creativity
needed in the formation of a new idea of fashion is what makes a form of art and its
personalization according to the personality and the body type of the person takes a lot of
creativity. In the contemporary fashion is also a way to express oneself in the society, so to
develop the different fashion apparels to express the individual needs, mod and suit the occasion
to which the person wants to wear the dress to, makes the development of such fashion waves a
work of art. The different museums such as the Victoria and the Albert Hall taking in the fashion
changes as the exhibits also makes it a work of art. It can also be established that the fashion is
also the reminiscence of the contemporary society which makes it as commendable an art form
as any literature poetry of the age. The exhibition of the different apparels designed in the
different art galleries also show that the different ideas explained I the forms of dresses are art
forms in themselves. It is also seen that the dresses have also been an expression of the
expression of the modes from revolution to celebration to mourning. The imagery and the
ideologies that have been associated with the different fashion types make them an art in their
own sense. Therefore it can be said that fashion is an art in its own right and continues to develop
as same.

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