17-05-2025
When fashion meets art: iconic collaborations between designers and artists
Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí
Above The Lobster Dress designed by Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí (Photo: Philadelphia Museum of Art)
Standing at one of the most iconic intersections of art and fashion are Elsa Schiaparelli's collaborations with Salvador Dalí. The duo shared a fascination with surrealism and eccentricity, and their collective endeavours birthed a number of unforgettable garments and accessories.
The lobster dress was perhaps their most famous creation, consisting of a white silk organza gown featuring a large lobster motif hand painted by Dalí. Alexander McQueen and Damien Hirst
Alexander McQueen partnered with Damien Hirst to celebrate the 10th anniversary of McQueen's iconic skull scarf, first introduced in the former's spring/summer 2003 collection. This resulted in a limited-edition collection of 30 scarf designs that merged the aesthetics of both visionaries.
Each scarf was inspired by Hirst's Entomology series and featured a variety of insects arranged in kaleidoscopic patterns.
See also: 5 insights on fashion, according to Alexander McQueen Raf Simons and Robert Mapplethorpe
Above Raf Simons dons a shirt from his collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation at the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards ( / Dimitrios Kambouris)
Raf Simons collaborated with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation to create a collection inspired by the works of the late photographer. Simons selected about 100 photographs from Mapplethorpe's archive, including portraits of artists and musicians like Cindy Sherman and David Byrne, and superimposed them into shirts, jackets and other garments. The partnership culminated in Simons's Spring/Summer 2017 menswear collection. Prada and Elmgreen & Dragset
Above A shot of the Prada Marfa art installation by Elmgreen & Dragset (Photo: Prada Marfa / Claes Nordenskiold)
In 2005, Scandinavian artistic duo Elmgreen & Dragset created this permanent, site-specific art installation taking the form of a small, highly realistic Prada boutique. The solitary building, which accurately follows the fashion house's aesthetic design codes, is located in the remote Chihuahuan Desert of Texas, almost 60 kilometres from Marfa, a town renowned in the art world.
Though the structure was not officially commissioned by the brand, Miuccia Prada herself voiced her appreciation for the project, even going so far as to donate a number of pieces from Prada's Autumn/Winter 2024 collection.
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