The latest collection from Japanese fashion house Comme des Garcons is a morbid fashion statement inspired by themes of death. The Autumn/Winter collection takes cues from Victorian fashion and funeral traditions, featuring models overwhelmed by mounds of billowy fabric. Designer Rei Kawakubo presented the somber collection in the Mineralogy Gallery of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris during the Autumn Winter 2015 shows.
Made up of mostly black-and-white pieces, the morbid fashion collection includes bows that reference funeral floral arrangements; silk, that nods to interior coffin linings; and lace, in allusion to the Victorian-era mourning gowns.
The show featured very little hair and makeup expertise, with the models' hair being incorporated into their veils and their faces almost entirely hidden beneath it.
Morbid Victorian Fashions
The Comme des Garcons' AW 2015 Collection Elevates Morbid Fashion
Trend Themes
1. Morbid Fashion - Exploring themes of death and mourning in fashion, particularly inspired by Victorian fashion and funeral traditions, creates an opportunity for fashion brands to tap into alternative aesthetics and convey implicit meanings through their designs.
2. Black and White Aesthetics - The use of predominantly black and white pieces creates an opportunity for fashion and textile manufacturers to experiment with materials and techniques that can add a sense of depth and texture to the overall look of the garment.
3. Veiled Beauty - Incorporating hair into veils and obscuring the models' faces creates an opportunity for designers and makeup artists to explore ways to highlight parts of the body that are often overlooked and create new trends around subtly hiding or revealing them.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion - Fashion brands can explore how to use themes of death and mourning in their designs to create new collections and appeal to niche audiences.
2. Textile Manufacturing - The use of predominantly black and white color schemes in the collection creates an opportunity for textile manufacturers to experiment with materials and techniques to create unique textures and depth in textiles for the fashion industry.
3. Makeup and Beauty - The obscured faces in the collection create a trend around highlighting other parts of the body and creating makeup and beauty looks that can complement alternative aesthetics like the Victorian-inspired black and white fashion pieces.