Beyond serving as mere backdrops for fashion shows, architecture often influences fashion collections, contributing spatially to their storytelling, offering material inspiration, and showcasing the connection between structure and shape. As both disciplines revolve around form, structure, and the human experience, architecture, and fashion share a strong connection, one often explored by creators in both fields. From meticulous tailoring and structural designs that mimic architectural lines, contours, and volumes, to architecture taking cues from how fashion works with the human shape, this interplay can create multidimensional experiences for the enthusiasts of both high fashion and architecture.
On June 10, French brand Jacquemus, known for its minimalist designs with surrealist touches, chose to celebrate its 15th anniversary with an exclusive runway show at Villa Malaparte. The location, usually inaccessible for this type of event, has made another exception for Saint Laurent, who featured it as the backdrop of its 2018 spring campaign starring Kate Moss.
Read on to discover some of the interferences between architecture and fashion explored through runway shows organized in and influenced by classic works of architecture.
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Architecture and Fashion: YSL at Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie and AMO/OMA’s Set Design for PradaJacquemus’ 15th Anniversary Show at Villa Malaparte in Capri, Italy
Jacquemus presented the FW24 collection at Villa Malaparte in Capri, an infamous and controversial modernist Italian villa located on the island of Capri. Built between 1938 and 1940 by writer Curzio Malaparte and designed by Adalberto Libera, the villa showcases a paired-back yet memorable design, with its clean lines well-adjusted to fit its Mediterranean cliffside location. This choice highlights the Mediterranean aesthetic often explored by designer Simon Porte Jacquemus. The villa, promoted heavily on social media, underscores Jacquemus's knack for creating anticipation. The location was also chosen for its connection with cinematic history, being featured in Jean-Luc Godard's "Le Mépris" ("Contempt").
Yves Saint Laurent Runway Show by the Eiffel Tower
The Saint Laurent Summer 2024 womenswear collection, designed by Anthony Vaccarello, was presented on a modernist set located in front of the Eiffel Tower, a move aimed at highlighting the collection’s “assertive sophistication”. With simple lines and a pragmatic approach to the structure of the garments, the collection is said to be inspired by pioneering women like Amelia Earhart and Adrienne Bolland, featuring a looser silhouette with couture-informed daytime looks.
Louis Vuitton’s Show at Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, designed by Louis Kahn in 1965 and commissioned by Dr. Jonas Salk, has long been appreciated for its spatial qualities, with symmetrical structures opening views towards the Pacific Ocean. In May 2023, Nicolas Ghesquière of Louis Vuitton took inspiration from this classic work of architecture, allowing the minimalist design to influence his collection. He has also chosen this location to present the 2023 Cruise Collection.
I wanted the clothes to be like reflections, a point of contact between light and people.- Nicolas Ghesquière
Saint Laurent Men’s Summer 24 at Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie
In 2023, Anthony Vaccarello unveiled his then latest Saint Laurent collection at Berlin's Neue Nationalgalerie, a classic of Modernist architecture by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, recently renovated by David Chipperfield. In addition to its unique location, the show draws inspiration from sleek lines and the "unexpected lightness of construction" of the gallery. The resulting silhouettes are both sharp and elegantly minimalistic, echoing the timeless appeal of the architecture, which remains as contemporary today as it was when it debuted in 1968.
