Originally posted by rilu
I think this is where the core of our disagreement lies. I think that fashion design can be understood as a form of art (we had a discussion on pure/applied art distinction in another thread so i won't go into that now). And if I take a look at any of the recent Rei Kawakubo's collections, I sure hope she doesn't give a damn about anyone on here (or anywhere else) saying "what the fuck". There is a reason why certain collections are so striking that the entire point of wearability seems obscured, but which are still far from a random circus mish-mash.
I think that an artistically valuable collection may not only challenge, but sometimes even surpass the standards of the zeitgeist. In contrast, the aesthetic framework of a mere consumer is rarely able to do the same, but it usually remains conservative towards the very core of those standards, and hence, not able to give an adequate response in this sense. I am not saying that all consumers judge things only in terms of wearability, or that all consumers are not able to see further from the boundaries of the zeitgeist, I am just saying that that rarely happens, and so the artistic, conceptual value of the collections slips the discussions.
one more thing: I think where it does get interesting for designers (or any other artists) to take the opinion of the audience into account are non-aesthetic issues regarding production and fashion in general, so political, social, etc. considerations, but that's an entirely different thing.
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