Fashion Art & Aesthetic Art

This essay examines whether fashion art is limited to the function of aesthetic art. It analyzes the concepts of aesthetics, drawing on various philosophical perspectives and highlighting the cultural and subjective nature of aesthetic judgment. The essay uses case studies of Gucci's successful revamp and Dior's New Look revolution to illustrate how fashion designers can transcend the boundaries of traditional aesthetic art, focusing on innovation, storytelling, and commercial success. The conclusion asserts that fashion art is not confined to aesthetic art but rather uses it as inspiration while pushing creative boundaries and incorporating elements of comfort, presentation, and commercial viability.

DOES FASHION ART STOP
AT THE FUNCTION OF
AESTHETIC ART

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 2....................................................................................................................................1
CASE STUDY.................................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER 2
Does Fashion Art stop at the function of the Aesthetic Art?
The term aesthetics have been derived from a Greek term 'aesthetic' which essentially
means perception, and hence on this term was adopted to refer to the principles which govern the
nature and appreciate the beauty, specifically in visual arts. On the academic level Li, Y., Hu, C.
and Zuo, H. has defined the term in their article Learning aesthetic judgements in evolutionary
art systems as follows:
"Aesthetics is connected to the artist in the manner Ornithology is to the birds. It is a branch of
philosophy which primarily concerns to issues about beauty as well as artistic taste. The practical
world of aesthetic judgement essentially connotes to the sensory contemplation. This is addition
also relates to the process of appreciation of an object, regarding the beauty, which may not be
an object of art. One of the elements which find a specific place in this context is the nature,
which at maximum times is the subject of aesthetic judgement." (Li, Hu and Zuo, 2013)
The term aesthetics is regarded synonymous to the philosophy of art. It is primarily connected
to nature and the manner in which the art shall be appreciated, in addition to beauty and good
taste. The Li, Hu and Zuo have also explained the term as a critical reflection of nature, art and
culture. Further, it has also been explained as a theory of liberal arts or the science or sensory. It
has been opined by many that in the practical world aesthetic judgement relates to sensory
contemplation or the process of appreciation of an object, which may not be an object of art. On
the other hand, in has been contemplated by R. J. Goebel that
"The modern time's aesthetics is concerned to simplicity which can be observed in the beauty of
art. This requirement of simplicity is especially prevalent among the younger generation. The
concept has completely revolutionised in the sense that it no more relates to beauty and
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admiration of nature, rather it refers to going back to roots in the simplest way possible. Thus, in
the eyes of the present generation simplicity has become synonymous to aesthetics to some
extent. Today more and more people view the concept as being simple and authentic” (Goebel,
2014)
As stated by the author the younger generation of the modern world consider the term aesthetics
for describing the beauty by the attributes of simplicity, subtleness and unobtrusiveness. Thus,
objects which successfully balances the character of simplicity with the modern time's
complexity is described with the term aesthetic. By the younger generation, the aesthetic value
shall be maintained if the concerned object is constantly enriched with beauty and innovation,
along with maintaining the subtle values or the aesthetic values.
Aesthetic judgement typically relies on the person's ability to discriminate at the level of senses.
The judgement primarily functions to examine the affective domain response about an object or a
phenomenon. As observed by A. Chatterjee in his work:
"Each person possess his sense of beauty or taste. It is imperative to know that every person
lives with a varied perspective towards life and hence, possess different opinions and views
about all the objects or elements. An object which is perceived as magnificent by one person
may or may not be perceived in the same manner by others. Every person can be termed as
exclusive regarding their ideas, preferences, thoughts and so on.” (Chatterjee, 2013)
The author through the stated words intends to reflect that in the case of examining 'beauty', the
opinion is highly sensitive to the agreeableness of each person. This can be supported with the
argument that if a person proclaims an object to be beautiful, then he assumes the same for others
as well. In such cases, the person has formed an opinion not just for himself but on behalf of
everyone. There are several other issues involved in the judgements of aesthetical values. This
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examination may even be linked to emotions, which in part may be reflected in the manner we
physically react to a situation. On the other hand, it is opined by X. Qin, L. Gao and Y. Shen that
“Aesthetic values are to some extent conditioned culturally in persons, and hence play a
major influence on the Aesthetic judgements. These values may vary from place to place or from
region to region, as the culture and traditions of every region are different from the other. The
basis of development of aesthetic values can be connected to roots of a region which are
primarily formed by the culture and tradition prevalent in a particular region. ” (Qin, Gao and
Shen, 2015.)
One of the most appropriate examples is that Victorians always viewed the African sculptures
as extremely ugly, and on the contrary, Edwardians viewed the same sculptures as extremely
beautiful only a few decades later. It has been observed that these judgements are directly
connected to economical, moral or political principles and values. For instance, the luxurious car
of Lamborghini is considered to be beautiful in the modern times, primarily because of the
attached attribute of status symbol. It has been observed by M. Holt that:
"The aesthetic judgements have the potential to be extremely fine-grained as well as internally
contradictory. The genesis of aesthetic values is the culture and tradition of a region, which in
turn may vary as the distance between the region increases. The aesthetic judgements imbibed in
the people of the region in such a manner that it may not be realised in an explicit manner.
However, there is a possibility that the same may differ between the people due to change in the
culture." (Holt, 2015.)
It has been found that these judgements are undertaken by intellectual and interpretative factors,
and what picture is portraits in the mind of a particular person. It can be inferred from the
discussion that aesthetics are examined on the basis the sense or the emotions which one
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possesses, in addition to the intellectual opinions desires, preferences, behaviour, instinct, will,
culture, conscious decision, sociological institutions or a complicated combination of any of
these factors.
In light of the above discussion, it can be directly inferred that the fashion art is not restricted to
the function of the aesthetic art. As reiterated by J. Mukařovský:
"The Art of Fashion, in essence, revisits the impact of visual arts within the comprehensive
realm of clothes which are ready to be worn. The primary objective of an art of fashion is
developing designs which can be easily worn by people, and at the same time, it shall be assured
by the art that visually the product can impress the taker of the art. This implies that the two
elements of the art of fashion are - comfort and presentation.” (Mukařovský, J., 2015)
As quoted by Mukařovský, the art of fashion essentially focuses on the development
of designs and concepts which are readily wearable by the consumers. Therefore the main focus
of the fashion art is to innovate designs in such manner that various forms of comfortable
apparels can result. However, it has been opined by the R. A. Smith that:
“The art of fashion fundamentally focuses on the presentation and looks of the final
product. Also, there is a commercial element attached to this art of fashion. Relying on this
element it is believed that this art of fashion cannot be considered as an art in the true sense of art
can never be dependent on the manner the product shall do commercially. This is the least of the
concerns for an artist, and hence, this attribute leads has led to questioning of the authenticity of
this art." (Smith, 2014.)
Incorporation of vivid colours and silhouettes which can be characterised as dramatic are some
of the components which are inculcated by the followers of Fashion art. For instance, the Belgian
designer Dries Noten had inculcated the Italian Heiress as well as eccentric Marchesa in the form
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of muse, in one of the collections. In another event of Marc Jacobs, the models were found to be
wearing black lips, heels and layered furs, to dedicate this collection to an exaggerated character
of Fritz Lang. With the assistance of these examples, it can be inferred that fashion is not limited
to be inspired by a particular object or theme. It is rather a universal concept which exists
without any specific and certain boundaries. It has been said by a famous designer F. McDowell
that:
“My passion is concentrated towards both concrete and clothes. The attribute which
inspires me the most is the story which is reflected in every product. The fact that each and every
outcome of art tells a different story and is inspired by a completely different subject attracts me
more towards the art of fashion. The exclusivity of each of the outcome endures me towards this
field of art." (McDowell, 2015)
The words of the author clearly reflect that every product of the art of fashion is built on an
exclusive story which may not collide with the inspiration of any other product. It is interesting
to note that the art of fashion can be inspired by the aesthetic values. However, it remains to be a
specific subject which influences the manner in which the outcome of the art is designed. It is
important to note that the interplay of the functions of aesthetic arts in no way restrict the manner
in which the art of fashion is restricted or limited. Rather it is a progressive element in the art of
fashion as inspires the works of fashion art but does not limit to itself. Hence, it can be stated
that:
“Fashion Art does not stop at the function of Aesthetic Art.”
The aesthetic art is dependent on various factors such as culture, emotions, societal
institution and so on. This implies that the aesthetic art is highly sensitive to the region or people
in connection to which it is being judged. On the other hand, fashion is a universal concept
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which exists with no restrictions and can be inspired by any object or subject (Marcuse, 2014).
For instance, the summer collection of a designer is inspired by the aesthetic values of a
particular country, but at the same time, the designer shall assure that the people of the modern
times can wear the same and hence, the inspiration is limited to the designing or styling of the
product. It would not be wrong to state that aesthetic art formulates to be one of the components
or the factors which influence the art of fashion, but does not play a restricting role in the art of
fashion.
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CASE STUDY
What is Driving the successful Revamp of Gucci?
Here, it can be evaluated from the case study that fashion is a realistic art that revamps the
artwork of Gucci and thus helps the creative director or company to work in progress towards the
scenes. Fashion designers work in a unique way and thus results in creating something unique so
that it drives the company towards success. In actual sense,
"Fashion designer is that which balances between fashion and aesthetic art."
Illustration: Fashion Art, 2016
§
However, it is crucial for designers to focus on innovation and does not limit their artwork to
just fashion. It would help them to revamp and successfully drive Gucci towards leading fashion
industry. Further. It is also essential for incredible designers to design their fashion in an artistic

work and does not stop innovating or thinking. For instance, Gucci designer who is focusing
upon innovating something new in spring/summer collection 2016. Thus, the designer needs to
break their shell and thus introduce something innovative which aims to push the consumers
towards fashion and thus bring change in aesthetic art. The designers focusing on improving
their artistic work and thus creates innovative so that fashion industry can flourish. Here, the
statement evaluates that does fashion art stop at the function of aesthetic art and thus identifies
that it proves to be wrong and thus it is essential for fashion designers to enhance their artwork
and thus bring fashion towards improving their interest towards the art.
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“The injection of relevance helps Gucci to get back on the map”.
The New Look Revolution-Dior
The fashion designers of Dior brings revolution in the fashion industry. Thus, it helps them to
identify the interests of designers and thus provide work beyond aesthetic art. It is the best way
to praise designers as they are focusing on becoming artists rather than being just designers.
"It's quite a revolution that brings change in the name of fashion".
Hence, it is significant for the firm to bring changes in the design and brought revolution so that
shell of protectiveness could be overcome. Thus, it is the best way that gives chances to fashion
designers to improvise their talent and thus become fashion technologists. Improvising helps in
bringing new look and icon so that other designers could see the latest and innovative artwork
created by Dior designers. They believe that their work is beyond fashion and aesthetic art.
Illustration: Fashion Art at Dior, 2016
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