Forgotten old: Why did everyone start to buy archival items of religious marks
Just over a week ago in New York Opening Ceremony in conjunction with Byronesque, they opened a pop-up shop, in which they put up for sale items from archival collections of cult stamps of the 90s; among them are Helmut Lang, Maison Martin Margiela and Raf Simons. Opening Ceremony is a well-known multi-brand promoting progressive fashion, Byronesque is an equally important site specializing in the resale of vintage items. In the spirit of the latter’s approach, the clothes that hit the opening Ceremony pop-up-e-store were carefully chosen: you could find, for example, the famous Maison Martin Margiela top glove from the spring-summer 2001 collection or the plastic poncho Raf Simons from the collection Autumn-Winter - 2002/2003.
However, if in the near future in New York you are not going to, you can limit yourself to online shopping, the benefit here too is where to turn. Resale is not just anonymous vintage items, but iconic archival collections of famous brands today are incredibly in demand. What is the site Resurrection Vintage, where you can find a rainbow fringed Maison Martin Margiela dress from the 2009 artisan collection or a dress in the spirit of 1995 Jean Paul Gaultier op art. Or the site dotcomme.net, whose collection of archival Comme des Garçons is almost more interesting than the one that is exhibited now in the Metropolitan Museum (besides, other Japanese brands are also sold here - Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and Junya Watanabe). At decadesinc.com, you can easily buy a dress from the famous Alexander McQueen Hunger Spring-Summer Collection - 1996, inspired by the eponymous film with David Bowie in the lead role - and for just "some" 32 thousand dollars. And in Los Angeles Replica Vintage there are, for example, a bow from the 1997 Egyptian John Galliano collection or the 1991 Issey Miyake compound dress.
Fashion has always been considered a mirror of the present or an attempt to spy on the future (remember the works of Andre Kurrej or Paco Raban of the 1960s, often reminiscent of costumes for some fantastic film). And even when designers were inspired by other eras — as Christian Dior did in the 1940s or Vivienne Westwood, for example, since the 1980s — the images of the past they used were always refracted through the lens of the present. When Yves Saint-Laurent in 1971 showed his famous scandalous collection in the spirit of the 40s, he was inspired not so much by the fashion of that era, as by his friends - the most stylish and progressive girls of Paris, who adored vintage stores and skillfully mixed the intricate turbans with colored fox fur coats.
The nostalgia that has covered us today is a different phenomenon. Modern fashion without a twinge of conscience headed for retrospectiveness, starting with young brands like Craig Green, clearly drawing inspiration from the collections of Helmut Lang, and ending with Gucci, who take on the blue eye the work of Margiela and Dapper Dan; the same Vetements by and large constitute one big pastish on the already mentioned Maison Martin Margiela.
While for those who are new to the fashion world, these remakes look fresh and therefore very attractive, for those who appreciate the original design and not an essay on the subject, this is more like tinsel; An advanced buyer prefers to spend time and money on finding the source. It creates the illusion that the acquisition of archival parks Raf Simons or dresses Comme des Garçons counts among the caste of initiates: the one who knows the price of the original collection, do not overdo the alterations of a well-forgotten old. This approach resembles in part the story of avant-garde Japanese designers in the 80s or the Belgian wave in the late 80s - early 90s: then the things of these brands served as such a marker of “intellectuality” - they say, they will appreciate it.
The paradox is that the trend for archival collections, not having time to properly take shape, has already moved into the category of the mainstream. When Kim Kardashian walks with a transparent Helmut Lang dress and her husband Kanye West puts on a camouflage bomber jacket Raf Simons from the 2001 collection, the conclusion is that the first thing they value is not so much as owning something exclusive. It is worth paying tribute to the stylists of this pair, who have recently been actively cooperating with collector David Cassavant, who has one of the largest collections of vintage Raf Simons and Helmut Lang at his disposal. For a long time, he was known exclusively in the fashion party, until he began regularly supplying copies from his own archive to the main pop icons of our time.
The desire of people to spend money (sometimes considerable) on things ten or twenty years ago can be compared with a passion for collecting objects of art. This parallel is quite appropriate: during the same period of time, fashion is desperately trying to establish itself as part of a “high” culture, while designers are no longer willing to be content with the status of artisans. To see this, it is enough to remember how many fashion shows are held from year to year and how popular they are even among people who are not associated with the industry.
The desire of people to possess something valuable in order to increase their own value in the eyes of others is one of the most powerful. Thus, the famous German philosopher of the 20th century, Erich Fromm, put forward the theory that there exists a "mode of possession" and a "mode of being." According to his concept, most people today live according to the mode of possession, guided by the principle "I have, it means I exist." For people of this type, merely seeing anything — a landscape, a picture, or beautiful clothes — is not enough; it is important to be the rightful owner of the thing. And if we are talking about a unique piece of art or, in our case, a model from the iconic collection of the brand, the stakes are raised significantly.
Designers seem to be only happy about this state of affairs and are responding to the demand with supply. Vika Gazinskaya celebrates the tenth anniversary of the brand and re-releases her most popular dresses, created during this time, the Fashion Arts auction puts up Christian Dior couture outfits and accessories in honor of the 70th anniversary of the fashion house, and in London the Vexed Generation brand is preparing to restart, which in mid-1990 s - early 2000s called the local response to Helmut Lang. With such a scheme, everything is in the black: loyal fans can get the desired things presented under the limited edition sign, designers simply remember old patterns, and sellers of archival collections can make necessary connections with those who have a light heart ready to get rid of T-shirts and dresses.
Photo: Opening Ceremony & Byronesque, Raf Simons, Martin Margiela, Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, Comme des Garcons
