Mary Katrantzou, London Fashion Week SS2011

I think Mary Katrantzou is one of my favorite designers. She captures the beautiful images by surrealist visual artists such as Rene Magritte (artist, photos below) and Salvador Dali, and fashion photographers like: Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton. Katrantzou's work is very straight-forward, and her main design quality is the rich print work she captures on her garments. Some may call her work unoriginal or easy to execute, however, her eye for beautiful prints is wonderful and certainly unique, as is the detailing within her work. Her clothing takes 3D to another level, allowing us to feel like we can walk into her designs. Her work is definitely art, whether on your body or your wall. Below is her entire SS2011 collection from London Fashion Week. Follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/MaryKatrantzou

 

An interview with Mary Katrantzou, by www.LondonFashionWeek.com

Designer name: Mary Katrantzou

Origin: Athens, Greece

Design background: Mary attended Rhode Island School of Design and then completed both her BA and MA at Central Saint Martins. She has previously worked for Sophia Kokosalaki and freelanced for Bill Blass, amongst other designers.

Name three things that are inspiring you for spring/summer 2011: “Fashion photography, surrealist juxtapositions and the barrel organ.”

What are your design signatures? “A hyperrealist aesthetic, bold graphics and industrial jewellery.”

How would you describe the Mary Katrantzou woman? “She has a liberated spirit and a strong sense of style.”

What encapsulates fashionable London for you? “Somerset House during London Fashion Week.”

What do you hope the new decade will mean for your brand? “I hope to establish its identity and to develop it into an aspirational brand. That means lots of hard work!”

How does London influence your designs? “It's a constant source of energy and inspiration to live and work in London. It has a reputation for great fashion, influential museums and strong education. That all becomes part of your formation.”

 

Below: Rene Magritte

Below: Helmut Newton

Below: Guy Bourdin

Below: Salvador Dali

Definition/history of Surrealism or surrealist:

• An artist and literary movement during World Wars I & II 
• Influenced by positivity
• 'Spokesperson' of the movement was Andre Breton who in 1924 published The Surrealist Manifesto
• surrealism was based on the marriage of conscience and unconscious (dreams, hallucinations, sexual desire, etc.), so reality and fantasy conjoined into the everyday world rational.
  
• heavily influenced by Sigmund Freud
• developed in Paris
• an excerpt from Breton's Manifesto: "Pure psychical automatism, which has the aim of expressing, whether verbally, in writing, or in some other manner, the actual functioning of thought freed from any control of the reason and any aesthetic or moral preoccupation."

 

Posted via email from shaheera