The kings of peculiar fashion, Viktor & Rolf, celebrate their unique work of the last 10 years with an exhibition at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. Holding true to their reputation, they are not using models or mannequins, but are dressing two foot tall dolls in miniature remakes of their greatest designs.
The head of each doll is made by a Belgian expert who fires bisque faces traditionally. The hair and make-up replicate the look of the models when the outfit was first introduced in the show. And if you thought having the outfit smaller makes it easier to make, you are mistaken; each dress reportedly took double the time a full-size one takes to make.
So why dolls? They actually go back to the start of V&R's career. After winning the 1993 Hyères young designer competition together in France, they went back to Holland and imagined everything they wanted to achieve in fashion. They visualized it with a collection, called Launch, on a "doll that had a wardrobe, a catwalk and a studio of its own."
Viktor Horsting said, "We are very analytical. We thought, let's just visualise it for ourselves. There's a book called The Secret - a self-help book that's a big hit now. It's about projecting and visualising the things you want to make happen. And then you can make them happen. I read it recently and thought, that's what we did."
Designer Visualization Dolls
Viktor & Rolf Anniversary Exhibit
Trend Themes
1. Miniature Fashion Displays - The use of dolls in place of models and mannequins in fashion exhibitions presents an opportunity to experiment and innovate with scale and presentation.
2. Traditional Dollmaking Techniques - Incorporating traditional dollmaking methods, such as bisque firing, into contemporary artistic practices opens up avenues for cross-disciplinary collaboration and experimentation.
3. Visualization as a Creative Tool - The use of visualization techniques, such as those employed by Viktor & Rolf, could be harnessed as a tool for ideation and creative problem-solving in a variety of industries.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - The fashion industry could benefit from exploring alternative methods of displaying clothing, such as the use of dolls or other non-traditional forms of presentation.
2. Art and Design - The integration of traditional dollmaking techniques into contemporary art and design practices presents a unique opportunity for experimentation and innovation.
3. Self-help and Personal Development - The success of Viktor & Rolf's visualization techniques could be applied to self-help and personal development industries, such as coaching or therapy, as a means of achieving personal and professional goals.