Art and fashion: the link is not just a marketing strategy

Ralph Lauren (overlooking an empire by $ 5.1 million) had never presented a fashion show in Paris. He did it last week for the very first time. And he has now decided to take care of the extremely expensive restoration of the Ecole des Beaux -Arts in Rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint Germain -des –Pres: the oldest academy of fine arts in the world, commissioned by King Louis XIV, founded in 1648 and frequented by famous artists such as Degas and Manet. The renovation will begin in 2014.

 

This is just the latest case of the close relationship between art and fashion. Trussardi, Prada, Louis Vuitton are the best-known examples. But the cases are quickly increasing. Someone may see this situation as a simple and new marketing strategy for fashion industry. But actually this kind of links are neither simple nor new. To realize this, it’s just enough to look at Frieze (London): besides the historical sponsor Deutsche Bank, this year there will be a new one which comes indeed from the world of fashion, Alexander McQueen.

 

The link between this pair of partners shows that the relationship between creativity and business is increasingly complex and intertwined. It is true, however, that the link between art and cloth is nothing new. An example is to be found in the beautiful Judgement painted in the XV century by Giovanni da Modena in the church of San Petronio in Bologna. It is located in the Bolognini chapel, which is the name of the family that commissioned the fresco. Bolognini family’s business was selling cloth. Look at that artwork today: could you connected it to the ancient business of the rags?

July 15, 2015