Michael Schwartz

Alix Browne

A fascinating insight into the stimulating universe of Belgium's cult fashion designer duo A.F. Vandevorst. A universe of fetishes, fur, leather, sensual folds and tight straitjackets ... That is what Belgian fashion designers A.F. Vandevorst stand for. This publication celebrates their twentieth anniversary. Vandevorst and Filip Arickx met in 1987, on their first day of school at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Ten years later, they set up their company Blixa and presented their first collection as A.F. Vandevorst in Paris. They have collaborated with such people as the flamboyant hat designer Stephen Jones and have grown to become one of Belgium's most edgy cult designers, closely connected to the Antwerp Six (Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck). With fashion shows and flagship stores in Paris, New York and London, they are much respected internationally and hugely admired in Japan. A.F. Vandevorst's aesthetics are the result of their strong love for the visual arts, music and literature and of their great interest in cultural archetypes. This book focuses on their diverse inspirations, including Joseph Beuys, the military and the medical scene, and is a collaboration with artists to whom An and Filip feel strongly connected. Among them is Blixa Bargeld (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds/Einsturzende Neubauten), who was the source of their first company's name and has been a big inspiration ever since.

A F Vandevorst

A stunning work on contemporary fashion spectacles, showcasing the most innovative, creative, and artistic high-fashion runway shows of the last twenty years. In recent years, as fashion shows have become a part of our collective imagination and an important part of contemporary culture, blockbuster productions have redefined the runway show as a form of entertainment and creativity on par with the clothes themselves. This book focuses on designers for whom fashion and the mode of presenting it have held equal significance: Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, Hussein Chalayan, Viktor & Rolf, Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Raf Simons, Thom Browne, and Imitation of Christ, among them. From the performance art spectacles of the first Alexander McQueen collections in the mid-1990s and the high-art concept shows of Hussein Chalayan in the late 1990s to the lavish beauty of Chanel haute couture in 2012, author Alix Browne explores the highest pinnacles of fashion today. Runway gives the reader full access to the theatrical and creative aspects of the production, in both intimate, little-seen runway shows from the pre-Internet era—many of the photographs here have never been published before—as well as major productions with elaborate sets and full-blown narrative. A thrilling, immersive, and inspiring look into the wide-ranging creativity of contemporary fashion, Runway is the most thorough book available on the subject. Featuring the most innovative fashion designers of the last twenty years, this book is a must for lovers of fashion and culture.

Alix Browne

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