Fashion and art — a union where creativity becomes meaning, and collaborations turn clothing into wearable art
Fashion and art are two worlds that have historically gone hand in hand, intertwining and inspiring each other. Designers draw ideas from the works of great masters past and present, creating collections where art is not just decoration but the core meaning. Sometimes an artist’s brand overshadows the fashion house brand: the more famous or provocative the artist, the more attention and buzz surround the collection.
Iconic examples of experimental and innovative fashion-art collaborations that have gone down in history as exemplars of the synthesis of art and applied design:
— Madeleine Vionnet and Ernest Tait (1920s): unique color “harmonies” in fabric dyeing.
— Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí (1930s): iconic statement dresses such as the lobster dress and skeleton dress.
— Yves Saint Laurent and Piet Mondrian (1965): the cult trapeze dress with straight lines in the style of Cubism.
The influence of art on design, including fashion design, is an endless cultural dialogue, as design constantly seeks new forms of expression—whether architecture, furniture, or fashion.
Modern art collaborations actively follow this established path. Large fashion corporations invest in such collaborations, clearly understanding their goals and expected outcomes. Art collabs have become an effective applied marketing tool. Modern buzz-products are special showcase models — more discussed than worn. They become symbols of the time, sparking interest in fashion as art/design.
For example, the large-scale Co:Create project by the brand Befree is a constantly operating platform for collaborations between the mass-market brand and young artists and designers. For the brand, it’s a breath of fresh air filled with new ideas, and for creatives, a unique opportunity to showcase themselves to a broad audience. Limited-edition art collaborations turn affordable clothing into wearable art objects that emphasize individuality and unique style.
Among Befree Co:Create collaborations:
- Anna Andrzheyevskaya and Margarita Smagina — collections with bright graphic and surrealistic elements.
- Turben — author of “naive” drawings used for clothing design.
- Ritul (Rita Sapogova) — the project’s first collaboration, combining art and everyday fashion.
- Arslan Ismailov (ETO ZNAK) — graphics and prints inspired by protest culture.
- Alina Glazun — clothing with unusual textures and minimalist prints.
- Nikita Seleznev — collection featuring concrete textures, embroidery, and artistic elements dedicated to the 1990s.
Current Trends: Art on the SS25 Runways
Spring-Summer 2025 collections demonstrate fashion’s growing turn toward art:
- Loewe: dresses featuring Van Gogh images on textured feather surfaces.
- Louis Vuitton: jackets with paintings by Laurent Grasso from the “Researching the Past” series.
- Acne Studios: surreal shapes inspired by Jonathan Lyndon Chase’s work.
- Roksanda: a collection dedicated to Agnes Denes and her wheatfield project, expressing the balance between nature and civilization.
- Hodakova: a dress made from canvas depicting the designer’s native landscape, turning the wearer into a living painting.
ANNA LEBSAK-KLEYMANS
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO OF FASHION CONSULTING GROUP