‘A fashion and art moment’: how mediums mix at Frieze art fair | Frieze art fair
“When you’re at an art fair, you’re pushing fashion to be bold and experimental; no black is allowed,” says Belma Gaudio, speaking at the opening of the Frieze art fair in London.
Gaudio, founder of fashion boutique Koibird and an art collector, carries her bright green Hermès bag and her own knitting coordinates with images of insects to make the statement.
Fashion and art are familiar siblings, but fashion has grown in importance over the past decade at Frieze, where more than 300 galleries and artists from Lauren Halsey to Gilbert & George showcase their work.
Crucially, unlike fashion week where an invitation is mandatory, anyone can go to Frieze if they pay around £60 for a ticket. This “real people” factor is catnip for trendy street style.
At this October fair, the crowd mixed neutrals with pops of color. Given that the arts community is often affluent, signs of the super-rich – Birkin bags, secret plastic surgery and even fur coats – were clearly visible alongside a stylish and creative crowd. Eye-catching outfits are mixed with trendy but more low-key looks.
Charlene Prempeh, founder of creative agency A Vibe Called Tech, wears all black, but the sculptural shapes make her outfit match. “There are very few occasions when you can dress up for a casual event,” she says. “That’s what the fair facilitates.”
Too many light blue chip symbols annoys some in the crowd. Wearing a Prada skirt and Alaïa bag, writer Osman Ahmed tells Frieze he has toned down his look: “With so many signs of wealth and status in the room, I don’t want to be associated with that.”
But perhaps fashion brands see an opportunity. Dunhill, Stone Island, Loewe and Nanushka are partners, meaning their brands will be present at the fair.
Speaking to the Financial Times, both Dunhill and department store Dover Street Market said they often see footfall increase during Frieze week.
“[It] moment in both fashion and art,” says Gaudio. Koibird launched a collection by artist James Shaw in-store this week.
Prada is perhaps the most artistic of fashion brands. Last year, co-creative director Raf Simons she told Vogue “My interest in art is much greater than my interest in fashion.”
Opened for Frieze week Prada ModeSomewhere in King’s Cross.
It features the installation The Audience by Danish contemporary art duo Elmgreen & Dragset.
Visitors will enter a “cinema” to watch a film that has been deliberately blurred. They will share the space with other people, with five hyper-real statues sitting on couches. One is wearing Prada, of course.
It’s a full circle moment for artists. Twenty years ago they founded Prada Marfa, a replica of a Prada store in the Texas desert. Originally a take on the pageantry of land art, the project has since become an Instagram spot – Beyoncé and Solange posted selfies in 2012 – and was also featured on The Simpsons in 2019.
Although it was not a collaboration with the brand, Prada gave artists permission to use the logo and ensured that Prada designs filled the store.
“In an unofficial way, this was our first collaboration,” says Michael Elmgreen. “This [autumn/winter] The 2005 collection featured desert-friendly hues. “They adapt extremely well to the desert landscape.”
Twenty years after Prada Marfa, JW Anderson displayed two paintings by Jean Siméon Chardin on the walls of the venue for the Dior show in June; Roksanda Ilinčić was inspired by Barbara Hepworth for her latest collection, and a sculpture by Kwangho Lee was on the catwalk at Bottega Veneta.
Artists are also inspired by fashion. Exhibiting for the first time at the fair, Naomi Lulendo, wearing a striking outfit consisting of a striped Kenzo shirt and flowing skirt, uses fabric and clothes in her works.
“Clothes reflect things,” she says, “and because everyone reflects something back to you, you have some kind of control… I like it when people see me the way I want to see me.”
London-based designer Bianca Saunders also produces artworks. This October it Collaborated with Tate on designs using the work of William Blake.
Art is at the center of his practice. “Whenever I feel stuck, I say, ‘Let me wander around the galleries,'” he says.
The art world is also inspiring. “For the first time I [started]I said: ‘I want to see [people] ‘I walk around Frieze wearing the brand.’ This is the customer I want; “I want them to be observers of art.”
Elmgreen agrees that clothing is now part of the Frieze experience.
“You could say this is a fair for ordinary people [because anyone can buy a ticket]. This doesn’t just apply to the select few who have the money to buy art… I think the fashion world is interested in a group of people they can reach through art.
“And the artist is definitely interested in a group of people that they can reach through the fashion world.”
