FAUX or FUR?

Shao-Yen-Chen

Shao-yan-chen is an up and coming Taiwan born young designer who graduated from central saint martins last year on the MA fashion course and was featured in the MA show at LFW for autumn/winter 2010. He’s use of knitted nylon string and lyrca was what caught my eye. They reminded me of the tacky look of the furry/mascot costumes that are used in the furry fandom, and that takes a genius to make tacky look so beautiful.

He’s use of the female silhouette amazes me as he can make the body look so graphically striking and sexy. Whilst using such an unusual technique of knitwear. At a younger age Chen was inspired by the likes of Japanese fashion designers such as Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and Rei Kawakubo and has admitted to be still influenced by the Comme des Garcons S/S 97 collection.

He’s inspiration behind his MA collection seems more naturalistic than his final outcome he was inspired by natural landscapes like the water and waves of seascapes and fur coats from the 70’s.

His collection following his MA was also just as fur-tastic as the last. He names the collection GODDESS and yet again we see this use of abstracting away from the female silhouette. We also see the use of these artificial like colors of fur like this faux fur jacket featured in his recent collection. Althought the inspiration behind the collection had an approach on human anatomy and surrealsim but we do see similar silhouettes from he’s we still see his same technique and signature use of materials.

GODDESS COLLECTION

MA COLLECTION

JEAN-CHARLES-DE-CASTELBAJAC

This french born fashion designer really did fit into my furry fandom,from the years of the 70's Jean created his first furry jacket. His first collection was with a company called Ko and Co which was created by his mother. Jean has always been known for his use of indirect fabrics, and in his first show in 1969 he used materials such as floor cloths, sponges, oilskin cloth and camouflage cloths. He then went on to use novelty materials such as cuddly toys and kermit the frog puppets. He then went on to be known for painting dresses, in which he made a tribute to Andy Warhole, It was Jean's first Oversized piece which was graffiti painted in tribute of the pop art artist. 

Jean-Charles-De-Castelbajac got to exhibit his clothing in the most amazing places in Europe such as the V&A, La Bank Gallery, Fashion Museum of Paris Galliera and the MAK in Vienna where his Teddy Bear Coat was exhibited. 

You can see through out Jean's collection where his inspiration comes from, we continue to see memories from his childhood,such as  cuddly toys, characters from old children television shows, and Disney films like 101 Dalmations in his most recent autumn/winter collection.

There's not many people in the world who can admit to dressing the likes of Pope John Paul II and Lady Ga Ga. Although Jean doesn't have the most optimistic view of fashion, in an interview he was said to say this “We are at the end of a cycle, and we don’t give a damn [about] fashion shows. It’s not at all what makes the world move forward. I’m bored. The stylists are the ones who make magazine covers. When I do a fashion show, I do it like an installation. I was always closer to music and art than to fashion. I was never crazy about fashion for fashion. Until now I made clothes to tell stories.”

Jean is recently really showing his true creativity with his most recent project. He is working on a musical called Ceremony, you instantly think he's obviously designing the costumes right? and you would be right but he is also choreographing the performance and choosing the music!

I just can't help but be truly inspired by this guy!

Rick Owens

Rick Owens is a LA born designer, he started off as a freelance pattern cutter and then went on to estab;ish his wn label in the early 90's. I was inspired mainly by his collection Revillon in which he uses alot of fur through out the collection. Unlike the other two designers that I looked at Owen's has a more classic approach to the female body and his collection comes accross so elegant. 

Unfortunatly he does use real fur in the collection which I'm not really down with but I can't help but find he's work so beautiful to look at. 

he has demonstrated the ability to recontextualise fur by working with it in an unconventional way. Owen uses mostly expesensive furs such as Mink and has a complete luxurious and exclusive look.

He's been known for hanging ostrich feathers from shawls and cutting on the bias.

He spoke to Sarah Mauer from Vogue about his Revillon collection, "Thus is not status fut. It is personal fur. Alot of those old fur coats can look ponderous, so instead of using the old furriers materials, I've let in strips of cotton tape (which) I love using in my ownn collection. So it's like a big blog without shape." 

 2006 Couture Collection Revillon

 2006 Couture Collection Revillon

Fall 2008 Rick Owens

Rick is known for creating a versitle silhouette which you see through out his collectin his respect and understanding of the female form.

Katy Eary
Katy Eary's work I have found just facinating and inspirational, as of course she is an Essex girl at heart I look up to her as a role model in a way.
And it was her recent collection that showed at London Fashion Week in Febuary that made me think this girl definatly likes to have fun like the furry fandom do. Even though her inspiration came from old horror films and the american dream I couldn't help but see the animal like qualities through her looks and the use of artificial materials that really reminded me off the tack like furry/mascot costumes.
 Katy has been on the scene since 2009, and showed her first collection at London Fashion week in 2010, which consists of walking corpes skeletol and muscle like outfits.
Her Autumn/Winter 2010 collection really showed what she was made off and her clothes were being shooted everywhere. 
She started up at the Royal College of Art and then went onto work for Levis before starting up her own label. Which she describes as "glamorous streetwear". 
It's her use of materials like matching boxing mitts and furry claws. Gold spikes and stud detailing adorned the trims of jackets. Her attention to detail and colour scheme that she uses will always be an inspiration for me.