Digital Print Fashion
It’s contemporary fashion for the digital age.
Phoenix Art Museum will showcase the latest advancements in contemporary print design in its upcoming exhibition, Digital Print Fashion, beginning March 1. The exhibition illustrates cutting-edge advances in digital textile printing through designs by iconic talents Alexander McQueen, Mary Katrantzou, Miuccia Prada, and Ralph Rucci, as well as new and emerging designers.
Developing over the last two decades, digital technology has enabled designers to create a new range of prints in bold, eye-catching colors and patterns, the likes of which were not possible even a few seasons ago. For instance, take a look at the designs you’ll be able to find on luxury fashion clothing pieces such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and many others. Even the designs on the likes of these fake Gucci belts can be a lot more visually striking than what was possible just a few years back.
Digital printing, like that provided at IPW1, allows designers to rapidly reproduce and manipulate images and apply them to any textile. This revolutionary technology has significantly impacted designers’ ability to create customized designs. Coupled with a drawing app like ibis paint, designers can create artwork on a computer in half the time it would usually take. You can learn more about ibis paint for pc at fileproto.com.
“Today’s emerging generation of fashion designers have grown up using digital technology in their daily lives, so it’s only natural they would apply these technologies to their artistic creations,” explains Dennita Sewell, the Museum’s Curator of Fashion.
From collaborations with artists to everyday observations snapped on a smart phone, the sources of inspiration are as broad as the artists’ imaginations. One example in the exhibition is by London designer Mary Katrantzou that reproduces a hyper-vivid print of a koi pond extracted from illustrations of a famous connoisseur’s collection.
New innovations in ink-jet printers, inks and software have fostered the creation of multi-colored, intricate designs economically. Photographic scenes and abstracted images have given contemporary prints a hyper-realistic look.
“The technological developments we’ve seen in the last decade have enhanced the artistic potential of fabric as canvas, allowing the designer to explore numerous possibilities in order to realize their ultimate creative vision,” notes Maura Jurgrau, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design, at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.
“This collection presents a rare opportunity to view some of the most innovative and vibrant works reflective of the artistry of today’s digital movement, by some of the most iconic fashion designers as well as new and emerging,” says Sewell.
On a local level, new and emerging designers will take part in a student salon on March 2, for fashion design students from across Greater Phoenix. The student salons, which Sewell hosts throughout the year, allow students to take a closer, detailed look at the works in the Museum’s fashion exhibitions, and gain greater understanding of the history and current trends in their field.
The fashion industry attracts t Fashion will open on Friday, March 1, with a lecture by Sewell in the Museum’s Whiteman Hall at 7 p.m. Visitors will also hear from Danielle Locastro, of First2Print, a textile printing company that works with some of the biggest names in fashion. On view through July 14, Digital Print Fashion is supported by the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation and the Arizona Costitute, a support organization of the Museum.
OPEN THE FRONT DOOR TO Phoenix Art Museum.
