Turning style on its head
Words | Celeste Neill-Duvoisin As this month’s London Fashion Week continues to uphold its reputation for cutting-edge style, where else would you expect the surrealist Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf to showcase their first ever retrospective? Catch them while you can at the Barbican Art Gallery THE AVANT-GARDE Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf are [...]
Words | Celeste Neill-Duvoisin
As this month’s London Fashion Week continues to uphold its
reputation for cutting-edge style, where else would you expect the
surrealist Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf to showcase their first ever
retrospective? Catch them while you can at the Barbican Art Gallery
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THE AVANT-GARDE Dutch fashion
designers Viktor & Rolf are often
described as the Gilbert & George of
the fashion world. Like the infamous
East London conceptual art duo, the two
young fashion designers dress alike (in
sharp suits with a slight edge to them),
both wear black, thick glasses, have
neatly cropped hair, and even sometimes finish each others’
sentences, so close are they. Beyond their appearance, the
comparisons are also justified in that Viktor & Rolf are as
much about conceptual art as audacious frocks. But they
are also commercially savvy. The Italian mogul behind
Diesel, Renzo Rosso, has just bought a controlling stake to
push the company even farther. But what is expected to
stay the same is their unique blend of the surreal and ironic
with the fashionable as seen in their pioneering catwalk
shows, which use vividly theatrical flourishes to showcase
exquisitely detailed clothes.
Models striding down the catwalk in black full-face
motorbike helmets, a tap-dancing womenswear launch
(including the designers themselves tap-dancing) and the
famous ‘Russian Doll’ moment with a single model on the
catwalk dressed in 10 different layers by the designers, have
all given rise to their reputation for performance art being
integral to their fashion.
alt="Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren formed an intensely close working collaboration since
meeting as fashion students at Arnhem Art
Academy"align="right"src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/sept/voyager_sept072.jp
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It’s appropriate that the first UK exhibition dedicated to
this highly influential pair is at the Barbican Art Gallery in
the City, which has been known for championing avantgarde
art. The specially commissioned installation charts
the past 15 years of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren’s
fashion. The exhibition is dominated by a stunning
oversized dolls’ house, three storeys high at seven metres,
filled with 55 beautiful (if slightly disturbing) dolls, each
one meticulously dressed in a perfect miniature version of
an iconic outfit from the designers’ past shows.
alt="The giant dolls’ house was specifically created for this space in the
Barbican Art
Gallery"align="left"src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/sept/voyager_sept074.jpg">
“We wanted to do something different with this
exhibition and it’s one of the most extreme installations we
have ever done,” the two explain in their trademark, twinlike,
sentence-sharing style of conversation. “It is at once
inspired by the famous Dutch dolls’ houses of the golden
age, as well as Victorian department store architecture.”
alt="Line of beauty: Another time, the models might be
tap-dancing…"align="right"src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/sept/voyager_sept0
75.jpg">
The installation was designed with Dutch architect Siebe
Tettero, a long-time collaborator who designed their Viktor
& Rolf ‘upside-down’ boutique in Milan, as well as their
Amsterdam offices. “He can translate our language into
something real. This time we wanted to focus on all our
collections from the past. We created a gigantic dolls’ house
as our starting point. The dolls are replicas of 19th century
French and German ones. The eyes are mouth-blown glass
and the little wigs are made of real hair. It’s said that dolls
like this were once used by couture houses in the 19th
century when the couturier would create miniature versions
of a design and send them to clients living abroad, who
could commission the looks they wanted without having
to travel.”
alt="Viktor & Rolf’s ‘upsidedown’ boutique in Milan"
src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/sept/voyager_sept079.jpg">
The Barbican exhibition, conceived four years
ago, includes pieces from Launch, their “dreams
in miniature” October 1996 collection. “Working
with dolls is a recurrent theme for us, but it
comes from that installation,” they explain.
“At that time we were frustrated by not
being able to find our place in the seemingly
impenetrable world of fashion and we needed to be
more focused about our dreams and ambitions. We
created an installation with miniatures, each depicting an
element of a successful designer’s life: an atelier, a fashion
show, a photo shoot, a boutique and a perfume.”
alt="A sharp look for the autumn, with a nod to the surrealists"
src="http://www.bmivoyager.com/images/2008/sept/voyager_sept080.jpg">
Now, 15 years later, their miniature dreams have
turned into a huge reality, complete with their own
perfume, Flowerbomb, launched after they signed a
deal with L’Oreal in 2003 – the first high-end designers
to do so since Giorgio Armani. Meanwhile in the shops
their confrontational autumn/winter 2008 womenswear
collection continues their “fashion anarchy” crusade, using
words like “no” and “dream on” cut into the fabric or even
constructed in 3D. The designers have said they wanted to
take a stand against the fast pace of fashion. It’s why quirky
British actress Tilda Swinton has been a recurring muse for
their collections. ‘Anti-fashion’ yet stylish celebrity fans
include Gwen Stefani, Tori Amos and Cate Blanchett.
Even with the perfume contracts, global branding success
and a collection for Swedish fashion chain H&M, Viktor &
Rolf are still hungry to challenge the divide between art
and fashion.
Viktor & Rolf’s favourite Amsterdam places:
- Until 21 September
The exhibition, The House
of Viktor & Rolf, is at the
Barbican Art Gallery, Silk
Street, London [+44 (0)845
120 7550, www.barbican.
org.uk/artgallery]
Admission £8; £6 for
concessions. - 13 September
Coinciding with London
Fashion Week and to
celebrate the exhibition,
Viktor & Rolf will be
guests of honour at an
event highlighting their
sources of inspiration.
Check the Barbican
website (above) for
booking details. Also see
www.viktor-rolf.com - The Vondelpark
“We love to walk with our
dogs Vicky and Zwaantje in
this park. Especially in the
early morning before work,
when the park is waking up
and all is quiet in the midst
of the city.” - Gallery Diana Stigter,
Elandsstraat 90 [+31(0)20
624 2361, www.dianastigter.nl] and Van
Zomeren Gallery [276
Prinsengracht, + 31(0)20
420 8129, www.gmvz.com].
“They often have great
exhibitions.” - The ‘9 streets’ in the
heart of Amsterdam’s
canal district. “It’s one of
the city’s most delightful
shopping areas. Spend a
fabulous day exploring
the designer boutiques,
art galleries, jewellers,
gift shops, fashion shops
(like Van Ravenstein,
Keizergracht 359, +31
(0)20 639 0067, www.
van-ravenstein.nl),
specialist businesses
and there are plenty
of great bars, cafes and
restaurants to refresh you.” - Het Muziekgebouw
aan het IJ, Piet Hein kade
1 [+31 (0)20 788 2010,
www.muziekgebouw.nl].
“The restaurant at the
Muziekgebouw is worth
a visit, even if only for a
coffee. Wherever you look,
the view is spectacular.” - Rijksmuseum, Jan
Luijkenstraat 1 [+31
(0)20 674 7000, www.
rijksmuseum.nl ], and
the Van Gogh Museum,
Museumplein [+3
(0)120 570 5200;www3.
vangoghmuseum.nl].
“Each Friday the museums
are open until 10pm and
there’s always something
special going on.”Visit Flybmi.com to book flights
