THE FUTURE THAT NEVER WAS OPENING
Unfortunately, I couldn’t come to the opening night of The Future That Never Was exhibition. I’ve always appreciated designs from groovy 60s, by Mary Quant, Rudi Gernreich, Andre Courreges and the feeling of freedom and youth associated with them. Now you have an opportunity to take a look at their designs and works of many other great designers. The exhibition will last until the 5th of June 2011 at the Fashion Museum of Hasselt, Belgium. I’m pleased to be a part of this exhibition.
Paco Rabanne predicted falling of the Russian space station “Mir” on Paris in 1999. Lovely
Silver cyborg suit by Thierry Mugler
Reminiscence of the Space Odyssey
Shoes by Marloes ten Bhömer
“Squaring the square” in a space filled with triangles
From the 29th of January 2011, you have an opportunity to visit an exhibition which shows visions of the future from the past, and the possible future of tomorrow. The exhibition will take place at the Fashion Museum of Hasselt (MMH).
The Future That Never Was presents a ‘futuristic’ view on the magical year 2000 from designers from the sixties and shows you a glance at new possibilities of tomorrow. Throughout fashion history, there has always been a strong connection between fashion and scientific, industrial innovations. Fashion designers have always used new technologies in their designs and the possible image of the future also springs from the new sciences and innovations.
Modern discoveries and progress are often directly reflected in their designs and collections. In the sixties, a new generation of these ‘modern’ designers rises. Pierre Cardin, Andre Courrèges, Rudi Gernreich and Paco Rabanne amongst others experimented with new forms and (synthetic) materials. These designers often represent an era in which fashion does not find inspiration in the past, but eagerly looks at the future. The clothes that I prefer are those I invent for a life that does not exist yet – the world of tomorrow, Cardin once said. This resulted in dynamic new designs and styles that are still a source of inspiration for many (young) designers today. The impact of the industrial revolution on textiles and confection was rather slow in comparison to the changes that were about to happen in the next 50 years. New technological developments and innovations promise to turn the fashion world upside down again. The evolutions in bioscience and technology encourage the creation of new textiles, clothing, and functions, always with an eye on aesthetics. One of the most important aspects of this ‘eco-fashion’ is that it foresees future possibilities and applications in fashion.
Besides this, social, cultural and environmental aspects – for example durability and honest production processes – are gaining importance. On a long-term, the fashion world will have to adapt to this. High-end fashion is finding more and more difficulties to distinguish itself on a continuing competing market. The demands of the consumer rise, while the budget for fashion gets smaller. The Future That Never Was places these new possibilities next to the vision of the future of prominent designers from the Space Age period. A period that changed fashion forever.