Exploring the fashion x art love affair via seven of the most iconic collaborations of all time.
Long before Daniel Roseberry began sculpting trompe-l'œi trainers and surrealist jewellery—both celebrated Schiaparelli house codes—designers were drawing influence from the artistic canon. From Surrealism and Dadaism to Modernism and Impressionism, art movements have long provided fertile ground for fashion designers. Those aforementioned trompe-l'œi accessories—which next season appear as silver mules embossed with the skeleton of a foot—were influenced by Man Ray, hands painted by Picasso (1935) in which the latter painted a pair of hands to look like gloves, the result was lensed by Man Ray and a year later, the designer Elsa Schiaparelli created a pair of gloves to look like hands. That’s just one example of the mediums’ symbiotic relationship. Ahead of Frieze 2024, here, in no particular order (to order these collaborations by cultural impact is too much of a mammoth undertaking for this writer), are seven of the most iconic art x fashion crossovers.
Yves Saint Laurent X Piet Mondrian
Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 collaboration with the abstract artist Piet Mondrian is one of the most instantly recognisable crossovers of fashion and fine art. Celebrated as a turning point in modern couture, Saint Laurent—whose career would be marked by both his artistic inspirations and, in turn, his own influence on the art world—drew from Mondrian's minimalist, geometric designs to create his iconic Mondrian Collection. Arriving at the height of the Swinging Sixties when customers were hungry for streamlined designs that stood in opposition to the rigid dress codes of the fifties, Saint Laurent was credited with democratising art. The fusion of Saint Laurent's forward-thinking design with Mondrian’s timeless art marked a unique moment where fashion not only mirrored but embodied modern art.
Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince
Louis Vuitton has a storied history of collaborating with celebrated artists—Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, and Stephen Sprouse, to name a few—and capturing the zeitgeist. In 2008, the heritage Parisian house teamed up with pop-culture provocateur Richard Prince on a limited line of designer handbags. The brainchild of then-creative director Marc Jacobs, the collaboration showcased Louis Vuitton’s commitment to reimagining traditional luxury through artistic innovation and marked a high point in the fashion x art crossover. The collection riffed on Prince’s Nurse Paintings and included “Joke Bags” which saw the iconic LV Monogram emblazoned with Prince's “joke” text and playful graphics. Today, they resell for as much as £5,000.
Elsa Schiaparelli x Salvador Dalí
Perhaps the most renowned and enduring creative relationship, Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí redefined their disciplines through boundary-breaking designs. Both drawn to challenging conventional norms, they created a series of fantastical, surrealist-inspired fashions that danced between reality and imagination. Their most famous creation, the Lobster Dress (1937), saw their signature whimsy subvert the elegant evening wear of the era through sheer absurdity. Other notable pieces, such as Shoe Hat (1937), and Tears Dress (1938) proved that fashion could be a form of artistic expression—and not merely decoration, as it had been largely regarded—and a statement about the unconscious mind.
Roy Halston X Andy Warhol
The epitome of New York’s glamorous fashion and art scenes, Roy Halston and Andy Warhol’s collaboration in the ‘70s and early ‘80s felt distinctly American. Both pioneers in transforming their disciplines into platforms of celebrity, consumerism, and mass appeal, their partnership fused Warhol’s pop art sensibility with Halston’s quiet luxury. Both creatives were synonymous—and ubiquitous—of the 1970s and chimed with the hedonism and glamour of the Studio 54 era, where both were denizens.
Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse
Under the direction of Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with Stephen Sprouse—an American artist and designer known for his bold, graffiti-inspired designs—injected new energy into the house’s traditional monogram. A landmark fusion of luxury fashion and street culture, the punk partnership was typical of Jacob’s DNA—he was famously fired from Perry Ellis for his 1993 grunge collection—and his ability to bring an edgy, youthful modernity to heritage brands. The collaboration’s most iconic pieces came from the 2001 Graffiti Collection, which saw Sprouse reinterpret Louis Vuitton’s classic Monogram canvas by layering it with his trademark graffiti lettering in highlighter brights. Today, they’re amongst the house’s most sought-after items.
Prada x Elmgreen & Dragset
Leave it to Prada to mix fashion and art with social commentary (technically the house wasn’t involved in the installation, although it gave its blessing to use real products). Known for their conceptual installations that challenge social norms and explore the boundaries between art, architecture, and public spaces, Elmgreen & Dragset’s permanent installation blurred the lines between art and consumerism. Ironically—for anyone but Prada—the Scandinavian duo is known for creating work that critiques consumer culture and materialism. Prada Marfa (2005)—a permanent sculptural installation in the remote Texas desert—is one of their most famous works. The life-sized replica store (complete with window displays featuring actual Prada merchandise) is permanently sealed. Instead, it stands as a paradoxical symbol of consumerism and luxury. Unsurprisingly, in the Instagram age, it has become a cultural landmark, enticing legions of fashion fashions to make the pilgrimage every year.
Loewe x Studio Ghibli
Loewe first brought the magical whimsy of Studio Ghibli to fashion in 2021 and the creative forces have continued to collate through multiple capsule collections. The partnership marries two distinct yet complementary worlds—one rooted in luxury craftsmanship and the other in the boundless imagination of animation. Collections have included ready-to-wear and accessories sprinkled with hand-painted Totoros, forest spirits, and lush greenery, offering fans a chance to wear a piece of their favourite Ghibli world.
