By Carmela Prudencio
Fashion is the most personal form of expression. At its essence, it says something about the wearer’s personality, beliefs, and choices. From the choice of jeans and a t-shirt to a body con dress and stilettos, every piece of an ensemble was predetermined. These choices are predestined by the consumers’ background, lifestyle, and experiences but most importantly, they are predetermined by what designers have chosen to create, whether or not the designer is significant, and how the public receives these designs. Expression and choice are very important to me. In high school, I choose to wear thrifted sequin dresses and combat boots to class because it expressed that I did not care about fitting in. The ideas I had were not original, as I was fully aware, for I gained inspiration from my Vogue subscriptions and searching for vintage trends online. My research stirred envy in my adolescent mind and I rummaged through the Salvation Army to recreate a look from Marc Jacobs campaign or to appear as though I jumped out of a time machine from the 1980s. As I grew older, I started noticing patterns in trends throughout the decades. I came to the realization that to transcend trends, you must investigate fashion history and observe the evolution of current trends.
Growing up, I was focused on what I was wearing, how I could look different and express my rebellion. I decided to start tearing up old clothes, sewing things together, and eventually sewing apparel out of patterns via my mother’s sewing machine that I had commandeered. I wanted to be a famous fashion designer. Things changed as I started working retail and I realized I loved the business aspect. Knowing what trends worked and flopped in the past, being aware of how cyclical trends are, and seeing how other designers take inspiration from one another will help me become a shrewd, successful businesswoman in the marketing sector.
Marc Jacobs, Issey Miyake, Hussein Chalayan, Kenzo Takada, and Rei Kawakubo are innovators that represent their unique eras in very distinctive ways. I have always been a fan of unconventionality, attention to detail, and quality craftsmanship. These 5 designers represent different decades and styles but have individually made a mark on their generations through their originality and refusal to fit into the crowd.
Marc Jacobs was the first designer bag I ever had and the first that I have built brand loyalty to. That gift was a rite of passage from my mother that I was an adult. In her mind, every woman needed a good designer bag. From there she started giving me his perfume “Daisy” for Christmas every year. He has made a connection with me through my personal experiences as well as in finding my identity in the fashion world. This designer has the innate ability to relate to the youth demographic of every generation thus far. He has been able to relate to my generation in offering us what we are looking for in designer collections.
Issey Miyake’s imaginative and architecture-inspired pieces have always been a form of art to me rather than fashion. He is a sculpture of fabrics and master draper. There’s always been a science fiction, futuristic quality to his work that I’ve always found exciting. His design philosophy on the function of dress transcends the preconceived notions of practicality into an innovative means of production.
While studying Issey Miyake, I discovered Hussein Chalayan’s experimental designs. I was captivated by the construction and presentation of his high-tech designs and unique fashion shows. His collections are what I foresee trending in the future of fashion. I believe Chalayan significantly represents our current zeitgeist because he expresses the dichotomy of technology and the natural environment to the human world in a time where technology reigns supreme.
Kenzo Takada’s patterned fabrics and youthful spirit have an accessible charm to them without being intimidating like a lot of haute couture lines can be. He was the leading maverick in the rise of Japanese designers in Paris and around the world. What he has done for Asian-Americans has opened doors for the merging of the East and West and has also helped the youth of the generation in finding their identities.
I discovered Rei Kawakubo’s work from researching Miyake and I am now an avid admirer of her work ethic, design philosophy, and minimalist designs. Her opinions on the relationship of garments to the female figure are radical even in this current era. Her concepts of feminism, pragmatism, and the convergence of eastern and western cultures relates to my struggles and moral philosophy in a refreshing and altruistic manner.
Growing up, I was focused on what I was wearing, how I could look different and express my rebellion. I decided to start tearing up old clothes, sewing things together, and eventually sewing apparel out of patterns via my mother’s sewing machine that I had commandeered. I wanted to be a famous fashion designer. Things changed as I started working retail and I realized I loved the business aspect. Knowing what trends worked and flopped in the past, being aware of how cyclical trends are, and seeing how other designers take inspiration from one another will help me become a shrewd, successful businesswoman in the marketing sector.
Marc Jacobs, Issey Miyake, Hussein Chalayan, Kenzo Takada, and Rei Kawakubo are innovators that represent their unique eras in very distinctive ways. I have always been a fan of unconventionality, attention to detail, and quality craftsmanship. These 5 designers represent different decades and styles but have individually made a mark on their generations through their originality and refusal to fit into the crowd.
Marc Jacobs was the first designer bag I ever had and the first that I have built brand loyalty to. That gift was a rite of passage from my mother that I was an adult. In her mind, every woman needed a good designer bag. From there she started giving me his perfume “Daisy” for Christmas every year. He has made a connection with me through my personal experiences as well as in finding my identity in the fashion world. This designer has the innate ability to relate to the youth demographic of every generation thus far. He has been able to relate to my generation in offering us what we are looking for in designer collections.
Issey Miyake’s imaginative and architecture-inspired pieces have always been a form of art to me rather than fashion. He is a sculpture of fabrics and master draper. There’s always been a science fiction, futuristic quality to his work that I’ve always found exciting. His design philosophy on the function of dress transcends the preconceived notions of practicality into an innovative means of production.
While studying Issey Miyake, I discovered Hussein Chalayan’s experimental designs. I was captivated by the construction and presentation of his high-tech designs and unique fashion shows. His collections are what I foresee trending in the future of fashion. I believe Chalayan significantly represents our current zeitgeist because he expresses the dichotomy of technology and the natural environment to the human world in a time where technology reigns supreme.
Kenzo Takada’s patterned fabrics and youthful spirit have an accessible charm to them without being intimidating like a lot of haute couture lines can be. He was the leading maverick in the rise of Japanese designers in Paris and around the world. What he has done for Asian-Americans has opened doors for the merging of the East and West and has also helped the youth of the generation in finding their identities.
I discovered Rei Kawakubo’s work from researching Miyake and I am now an avid admirer of her work ethic, design philosophy, and minimalist designs. Her opinions on the relationship of garments to the female figure are radical even in this current era. Her concepts of feminism, pragmatism, and the convergence of eastern and western cultures relates to my struggles and moral philosophy in a refreshing and altruistic manner.