Abstract
Fashion is capable of becoming a “manifesto” in its own right, giving not only clothing but above all communicative form to futuristic visions and declarations of intent on the contemporaneity in all its aspects. These fashions manifesto have historically taken different forms, of clothing (as in the functional experiments that led to the creation of Thayaht’s TuTa and Aleksandr Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova’s Varst, through the Space Age visions of Rudi Gernreich, Paco Rabanne, and Pierre Cardin and the political actions of Archizoom with their Vestirsi è facile), of written texts (such as Giacomo Balla’s Il vestito antineutrale. Manifesto futurista or more recently in Franco Moschino’s La Ricetta, Virgil Abloh’s Artist Statement, or Martin Margiela’s type-written statements), as well as statements in the form of spatial, performative projects, increasingly suspended between the physical and digital worlds (such as those of Miuccia Prada and Alessandro Michele). In today’s fashion communication, a relationship is increasingly consolidated between the different communicative modalities (offline and online), creating different forms of public involvement becoming real manifestos. With the mediatization of fashion and the pervasiveness of social media, increasingly direct and engaging communicative actions are defined as statements of precise points of view, defining fashion communication activities capable of reading and staging contemporaneity in all its many aspects and facets: aesthetic, economic, but above all, social.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The graphic form of the “manifesto” takes more and more the same meaning of its content: for example, the Manifiesto Blanco by Lucio Fontana and the Spatialist group, published in 1946 in the form of a leaflet, or the manifesto of Nouveau Réalisme drawn up by Pierre Restany on October 27, 1960, signed by Klein, Arman, Dufrêne, Hains, Raysse, Spoerri, Tinguely, Villeglé, and Restany himself and realized in nine original handwritten copies signed by the founding artists, seven on blue monochrome paper, one on gold leaf (monogold), and another on pink monochrome paper (monopink).
- 2.
As stated by Cantoni, Cominelli, Kalbaska, Ornati, Sádaba, and SanMiguel, the constant technological, strategic, and communicative updates constantly introduce new investigation topics that “require constant refinement and updates, as needed by such an evolving and exciting research area.” In Cantoni, L. et al., Fashion communication research: A way ahead. Studies in Communication Sciences 20.1 (2020), pp. 121–125. doi: https://doi.org/10.24434/j.scoms.2020.01.011.
- 3.
It is interesting to note how the first manifestos related to fashion were written by those who did not make fashion but wore it, or observed it as a social element, even though they already considered it to be art or social policy in its own right. It is enough here to recall some of the experiences developed from the beginning of the twentieth century, such as Il vestito antineutrale. Manifesto futurista [The Antineutral Dress] the Giacomo Balla’s Futurist Manifesto of 1914, the experiments of Thayaht, Aleksandr Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova, or Sonia Delaunay; the various feminist movements for the emancipation of women such as the Rational Dress League; up to the more recent political actions in the form of fashion of the Florentine group Archizoom with the project Vestirsi è facile [Dressing is easy]. For an in-depth discussion of these issues, see Guido Andrea Pautasso (ed.) Moda Futurista. Eleganza e Seduzione (Milano: Abscondita, 2016); Ina Ewers-Schultz, Magdalena Holzhey (eds.) Tailored for Freedom. The Artistic Dress around 1900 in Fashion, Art and Society (Munich: Hirmer, 2018); Radu Stern, Against Fashion. Clothing as Art, 1850-1930 (Cambridge and London: The MIT Press, 2004); Kat Jungnickel, Bikers and Bloomers. Victorian Women Inventors and Their Extraordinary Cycle Wear (London: Goldsmiths Press, 2018); Elena Fava, Vestire contro. Il Dressing Design di Archizoom (Milano: Bruno Mondadori, 2018).
- 4.
Andy Warhol, in fact, hybridized fashion and art not only through his activity as a fashion illustrator, but above all through the multiple forms of the Factory’s activities: through portraits (including many of the fashion designers of the time), through his own Polaroids (testimonies of the style of the time) and through fashion-artistic artifacts. For example, his paper dresses were not only pop, but “united art, fashion and entertainment, all of which were increasingly becoming part of the developing popular culture [...] Pop art had been taken up by the art, advertising, fashion and design words.” In Cunningham, P. A., Voso Lab, S. (eds.), Dress and Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University Popular Pres, Bowling Green (1991), p. 100.
- 5.
It is interesting to note the unusual approach of the pair of British designers who state, “We write the collection, from the very beginning, instead of designing we write it. It is really a brilliant way of looking at things. It became more interesting than thinking about a pair of pants or a single print, actually, that part became the most interesting thing for us. So, it was just a matter of thinking thoughts, wonderful things coming into your head.” And that concerning the 1995 Action collection they state, “The Action collection is supposed to spur you into action literally, so you do not have regrets, and no one knows how much time we have. You would think that if there is a pattern to someone’s situation, it is a matter of human nature, maybe if we could spur a person into doing what they have always wanted to do that would be great, but we will not hear about it. I know it is just a dress or a T-shirt, but potentially, because of the value of communication, maybe it could happen.” In Farrelly, L. (ed.), Wear Me. Fashion + Graphics Interaction. Booth-Clibborn Editions, Oxford (1995), p. 25.
- 6.
The poster and the magnifying glass needed to read it were inside the limited edition of the book You Can Find Inspiration in Everything* (*and If You Can’t, Look Again!) published by the London-based Publishing House Violette Editions in 2001. An object-book built halfway between an art object, a book, and a game.
- 7.
In 1966 for Paco Rabanne the fashion show became the stage for his creative manifesto, a real performance to present his “12 robes importables en matériaux contemporains.”
- 8.
An emblematic example of the political valence of fashion shows is represented by the experience of Serpica Naro, a non-existent brand (an anagram of San Precario [Saint Precarious]) that in February 2005 “presented eight allegorical models, designed to illustrate the humiliations of precarious work, which was followed by the presentation of models from European and Italian self-productions that did not recognize themselves in the world of official fashion and its flattery.” Domenico Quaranta, “Impatto Digitale,” in Il Nuovo Vocabolario della Moda Italiana, exhibition catalogue edited by Paola Bertola and Vittorio Linfante, Milan, La Triennale di Milano, November 24, 2015–March 6, 2016 (Firenze: Mandragora, 2015), pp. 44–49.
- 9.
The typewriter—and its particular basic look—is one of the tools, or preferably styles, of communication most used to layout a thought/manifesto. In the field of fashion, it is also used by Rudi Gernreich (in 1974 his Thong Manifesto), Margiela (in 1998 for the manifesto about white written for “View on Colour”), Stefano Pilati (for his posters/catalogues for YSL), or Acne Studios (who in 2016 created the For Those Who Desire manifesto) thus becoming a favorite graphic language.
- 10.
Is the future a romantic idea for you? What role does function play? Is novelty still relevant? Do you think in the form of language or images? Is creativity a gift or a talent? Do you have enough self-confidence to accept your contradictions? Do you speak more freely online? Can we still talk about novelty? Should we speed up or slow down? What is the difference between uniqueness and novelty? Does “Cloud” make you think of computer data or the sky? Do you look out the window or check the weather app first? What experiences alter your perception of time? Is repetition a release? Can your emotions be shaped? Is nature out there or in here? Is culture speeding up or slowing down? Do you ever feel like a machine? Is consent boring? Are there limits to identity? What utopia do you pursue? When was the last time someone changed your mind?
References
Lack, J. (2017). Why are we “artists”? 100 world art manifestos. London: Penguin-Random House.
Caws, M. A. (Ed.). (2001). Manifesto: A century of isms. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
Gronlund, M. (2009). The Manifesto: What’s in It for Us? In Manifesto Marathon. Marathon Events at London’s Serpentine Gallery (3). Stuttgart: Buchhandlung Walther Konig GmbH & Co.
Lyon, J. (1999). Manifestos: Provocations of the modern. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
Darlin, M. (Ed.). (2019). Virgil Abloh: “Figures of speech”. Munich, London, New York: DelMonico Books-Prestel.
Castelli, L., & Moschino, F. (Eds.). (1996). X anni di kaos! Milano: Lybra Immagine.
Home, S. (1991). Neoist manifestos. Stirling: AK Press.
Debo, K., & Vinken, B. (Eds.). (2008). Maison Martin Margiela “20” the exhibition. Antwerp: MoMu-Fashion Museum Province of Antwerp.
Prada Acronyms. https://www.prada.com/it/it/pradasphere/special-projects/2020/acronyms.html. Last Accessed 2021/01/29.
Bourdieu, P. (1983). La distinzione. Critica sociale del gusto. Bologna: il Mulino.
Fiorani, E. (2006). Moda, corpo, immaginario. Milano: Edizioni Polidesign.
Pautasso, G. A. (Ed.). (2016). Moda Futurista. Eleganza e Seduzione. Milano: Abscondita.
Mori, G. (2014). Luisa Casati, Casaque, Casinelle, Coré: opera d’arte vivente. In G. Mori (Ed.), La divina marchesa. Arte e vita di Luisa Casati dalla Belle Époque agli anni folli, exhibition catalog, Venezia, Palazzo Fortuny, October 4, 2014–March 8, 2015. Milano: 24 ORE Cultura.
Goldberg, R. (2018). Performance now: Live art for the 21st century. London: Thames & Hudson.
Westerman, J. The dimensions of performance. https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/dimensions-of-performance. Last Accessed 2021/01/29.
Bolton, A. (2015). In search of the sublime. In C. Wilcox (Ed.), Alexander McQueen. London: V&A Publishing.
Knox, K. (2010). Alexander McQueen genius of a generation. New York: Bloomsbury.
Koolhaas, R. (1994). Delirious New York. A retroactive manifesto for Manhattan. New York: The Monticelli Press.
Loriot, T. (2016). Viktor & Rolf. Fashion artists. Melbourne: NGV.
Linfante, V. (2020). Fading, mixing, slicing, and looping: The deconstruction of fashion through the creative process of music. ZoneModa Journal, 10(1), 79–99. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0563/11090.
Simmel, G. (1957[1904], May). Fashion. The American Journal of Sociology, LXII(6), 541–558.
Rocamora, A. (2016). Mediatization and digital media in the field of fashion. Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body and Culture.
Rees-Roberts, N. (2020). After fashion film: Social video and brand content in the influencer economy. Journal of Visual Culture, 19(3), 405–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412920964907.
Fury, A. Jacquemus — fashion’s favourite Insta-brand. Finantial Times, July 19, 2019, https://www.ft.com/content/8f62f38a-a7ac-11e9-90e9-fc4b9d9528b4. Last accessed 2021/01/29.
Gauntlett, D. (2018). Making is connecting: The social power of creativity, from craft and knitting to digital everything. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bell, E., Mangia, G., Taylor, S., & Toraldo, M. L. (2019). The organization of craft work Identities, meanings, and materiality. New York: Routledge.
Cazzullo, A. Miuccia Prada: “Il lockdown può dare una spinta alla creatività”. Corriere della Sera, November 02, 2020, https://www.corriere.it/cronache/20_novembre_07/miuccia-prada-il-lockdown-puo-dare-spinta-lalla-creativita-7cf8be5a-2131-11eb-8b53-82a05f6b5eae.shtml. Last accessed 2021/01/29.
Pompa, C. (2020). La memoria “estesa” della moda. Come valorizzare l’heritage aziendale con la tecnologia. ZoneModa Journal., 10(2), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2611-0563/11911.
Hodgkinson, T. W. (2017). How to be cool. London: Icon Book.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Linfante, V. (2021). Fashion Statements. Fashion Communication as an Expression of Artistic, Political, and Social Manifesto between Physical and Digital. In: Sádaba, T., Kalbaska, N., Cominelli, F., Cantoni, L., Torregrosa Puig, M. (eds) Fashion Communication. FACTUM 2021. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81321-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81321-5_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-81320-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-81321-5
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)