Musee de la Mode et du Textile

Something I have learned is people tend to be in shock when common items such as home decorations and appliances such as chairs are used to express a concept that is believed to just be fashion related. While in the Musee de la Mode et du Textile in France, I saw an exhibition on a diverse amount of chairs…Yes, chairs! The things you sit on and might see in every home. As I looked around, I began to see that they were more than just common chairs; as I looked at them, their composition brought this feeling of awe because of their complexity, beauty and overall aesthetic impact.
Though chairs are just everyday items, they can also be examples of artistic potential since they are examples of functionality and aesthetics. The chairs in this exhibition were filled with intention, and became completely fulfilled by the viewer’s interpretation; Some chairs to the viewer might seem cheap, but the artist’s purpose could have been to show that chairs can be made with minimum materials and achieve their purpose. Like modern fashion and art, these chairs create dialogue and begin an exchange of ideas and interpretations that can lead to more innovations and even sales globally.
The definition of a chair might not seem like art, but one must consider that chairs are created in consideration of people’s needs just like clothes are, which follows the definition functionality along with the definition of aesthetics; meaning it is a form of art. If an object is purely functional it can be ugly, therefore it must follow the rule of aesthetics; it’s the same case if an object is created with just aesthetics in mind, a true artist cannot design something with pure abstractness. Artists back in the day were known for luxurious art, art that could not be appreciated by the common individual; but as time has gone by, people search for art that can be seen as aesthetic luxury, and functionalism along with minimalism: sort of like fast fashion nowadays, though the creation and outcomes of fast fashion are unspeakable.
When looking at chairs, one may not see the impact globalization, but there was much of an impact just like there was in fashion and art. By having an artist travel to other parts of the world, a part of that journey will stick with them and allow them to come up with new ideas, to use methods learned abroad to create new pieces of their collection; which is a huge benefit of traveling and getting to know other cultures abroad. This can be shown by some of the chairs in the exhibition that were inspired by Japan, South Korea, Africa and even the aesthetics of the French monarchy. Like art and fashion, Chairs also follow the trends people follow, such as during the war; chairs were created in a way that was simple, but multi purposeful such as the foldable chair; when the student population grew after the war, furniture was created to contain all the necessary things a student could need, leading to the creation of a stylish and multipurpose loft bed. Something I learned in France is that there is no denying that everyday objects are a piece of art themselves, that they follow trends just as much as fashion and art itself; and that though we see chair everywhere, they still carry a purpose and aesthetic purpose that we might not see right away.

Louis Vuitton Foundation

The Foundation Louis Vuitton is known as the center of artistic creation by its visitors and as the best example of the twenty-first century modern Parisian architecture. The once fashion house is now home to art from Pierre Auguste Renoir to Egon Schiele, and of course it is a piece of art itself that sends the message that art and design are related and connected. 

Art is no longer just a decoration, but rather a strategy that people can use for marketing and bring desire from consumers. Because we are in a digital era that is still impacted by the effects of globalization, retailers of all types have turned their need of help to the world of art, some to create more exquisite pieces and some to enhance the experience of the customer.

Due to this new marketing technique, society has created a different meaning to luxury and this is shown by how luxury stores like Louis Vuitton have become an art institution. It is thought that many fashion houses are doing this since it is believed that art is what drives taste and therefore taste will drive for people to consumption; because art is known to act as the root of aspiration and desire. This cause can also be present, because the art market is based on symbolic value rather than materialist value, unlike many other markets today. By combining both the fashion and art market, it is safe to say that they will sustain each other in terms of showing support, exclusivity and creating meaning for fashion brands.

Because art has the power to create an emotional connection, the experience one has in a store-now-museum is unmatchable. By allowing art to speak their own personal message, it allows for the brand sponsoring it to be linked, allowing for product sales to occur; imagine it like this, if you hear a famous person is helping those who are passionate about art by building them a museum, and that famous person has a clothing line, you are more than likely to purchase from that line, for you know that they are doing honorable things: this is the same way in which the Foundation Louis Vuitton is working.

Profit is not the only thing that created this foundation, but also the collaborations they had with artists, along with the passion for artistic creation itself. By creating something like the Foundation Louis Vuitton, you pay a tribute to the artists and inspire others in the atmosphere in which this tribute is being paid. By creating something such as this foundation, it creates an identity or adds to the already made identity of French luxury, as well as become an example for other brands to follow. It shows individuals to care and to support the fine arts; it also shows that modernism can be paired with the old.

Le Musée Yves Saint Laurent

Fashion designers have a passion like all artists; they have a love for creating something new and unique. Yves Saint Laurent was a lover of the arts and an artist himself; because of this, every fashion collection he created was a piece of art, a masterpiece you could say. Because he loved art and the ones who created it, many of his pieces were made to honor those he admired and this can be seen in his 1965 collection, where he created a collection of dresses inspired by Piet Mondrian’s geometric art pieces. While I was in Paris, I got to see the collection, along with other pieces of his work; even some of his sketches, sketches that allowed you to see his creative process.

Because Yves loved art so much, he always tried to incorporate paintings into his collections, especially his haute couture collections; this leads him to create his own identity, a special identity that would make him stand out from the crowd. Due to the Mondrian Collection, Yves began to be known worldwide which created a huge change in the high fashion world, since he incorporated contemporary artwork into his pieces

Not only did art inspire Yves Saint Laurent, but also travel and you could say imperialistic style clothing, where he would bring the past and the present together to create a masterpiece like in his Japanese, North Indian, and Chinese collections. Through the process of his collections, Yves Saint Laurent used both functionality and aesthetics allowing for the creation of wearable clothing for the youth of that day. The illusion of wearing a painting or a piece of artwork was perfect for the rebellious youth of the ’60s.

Yves Saint Laurent was the first couturier to create ready to wear pieces, creating a new era for French as well as global high-end fashion. Because of his ready to wear pieces and the end of the World War Two, a demand for his products followed by mass production of his pieces was created, as well as a stylistic movement among the youth in France and America. A reason for his success in a country like America was that, while he kept the brand attached to its couture roots, Yves Saint Laurent matched the production scale of clothing brands of the United States. Yves pieces gave women a type of power that Chanel’s clothing did, but of course, YSL’s were more modern and fresh, something no one had seen before; he also had a makeup and perfume line that allowed for more diversity for women to choose from.

Paris has always been the fashion capital of the world, the capital of luxury. This is due to fashion legends such as Dior, Chanel and of course, Yves Saint Laurent. Though most the French brands made their way to America, you are more than likely to see more of Yves Saint Laurent fashion influence; since he had the most impact in American society, for it was more expressive and gave women a sense of power.

Overall Summary

While in France, I accepted the fact that art, fashion, aesthetics, and functionality all work together to create something amazing; it allowed me to see that art still plays a huge role in the society of today. Though I am not part of the French society and am nothing more than a tourist, I was able to see why France is the fashion capital; how it manages to stay on top of their game and just how difficult it is to do so.

Another thing I noticed is that though Paris is filled with luxury, it still faces problems such as poverty; almost every time you looked around the corner, there was someone looking through the trash or sitting on the ground with a cup. It makes me wonder, why spend so much to create this sense of luxury when there are still problems such as hunger going on. Though France has its problems, one cannot deny that its influence has taken over the world; From China to America, you can almost bet that you will find some French influence, whether in fashion, makeup or cuisine.

France has kept their identity for thousands of years, no matter how many years they colonized other countries, they never mixed other aspects into their already made luxurious identity; one can say that’s what makes France unique and impeccable, the fact that they have such a long history and have kept their identity true. They have their own style, a style that other countries try to replicate but never try to manipulate; which is something very admiring, to have other countries as well as your own, protecting something that is very much part of your identity (in this case we are talking about fashion).

Something people may notice when coming to France is that the French truly love the arts, that they make them part of their everyday life. Art plays such a huge role in the trends and overall collections of the most famous couturiers. Though many say anyone can do art, that is not always the case; art is more difficult than just slamming paint on a canvas and drawing a few lines: it’s about harmony and overall composition, it has to follow the rule of aesthetics but also the functionality. It is said that the main function of art is to bring joy to an individual through the use of harmony, form, and color, which is exactly what fashion does; by dressing an individual, the individual should get this feeling of joy as if they were looking at a beautiful art piece.