Fashion + Architecture

The fashion world and the built world are two disciplines that are on seemingly different ends of the spectrum. However, their very foundations are becoming more and more intertwined.


Both fashion and architecture were devised out of a human imperative for the sheltering and protection of the body from outside sources. They were designed for human necessity. As structures and clothing became more ingrained in the social psyche, they each became a means of outward expression of identity. The home and the outfit are seen as an opportunity for an assertion of the person and personality within.

Architects and fashion designers have been experimenting with the same processes in the creation of their works. Designers such as the late Alexander McQueen (whose work is currently on exhibit at the MET) have been building structure within their clothing to give the appearance of shape and volume on the body. Structural form is the way in which many architects devise spaces for the body, such as Shigeru Ban. Many architects have experimented with the folding and draping in early stages of formal analysis, just as Fashion Designers work with initial iterations of garments. On top of these traditional means of design, many fashion designers are using 3D-modeling programs that were primarily designed to aid in architectural practices. One such designer is Elena Manferdini. These two design disciplines are interrelated at their very basis, they are designs for the body in space.