Remember a couple of days ago we posted about how Glaswegian comics scribe Grant Morrison was one of the shortlist nominees for this year’s Scottish Style Awards? Well contemporary comics links to the fickle world of fashion continue in this article by Patty Huntington on the recent Prada fashion show (with the brilliant title “Microchips, designer vaginas and fairies: Prada’s spring/summer night’s dream” which sounds like the title of a collaboration between William Gibson and Storm Constantine) my colleague Kenny spotted: some of Prada’s latest fashions for the new season are apparently inspired by the work of Harvey and Eisner award winning comics artist James Jean (who along with Bill Willingham has been conquering the awards world with Fables).
“Everyone asks about the author of the show’s illustrations. The official line is that no one OMA person authored them – that it was a collaboration with Prada. That’s fine, but let’s give some credit where credit is due. A nanosecond of backstage digging turns up the name of Los Angeles-based illustrator James Jean. I’ve checked his website and the Prada figures are dead ringers for those of Jean. In the barrage of questions, Prada happens also to mention in fact, of her collection, that “It’s a fantasy about women and this type of strip comics”. James Jean’s website portfolio includes numerous examples of comic cover artwork, including Fables, Green Arrow and DC Comics’ Batgirl.”
I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised as the ‘high’ end of fashion, like the ‘high’ arts, has been influenced by or borrowed from popular culture for decades, from fashion houses appropriating grunge style in the 90s to Roy Lichtenstein appropriating (some comics artists had stronger terms for it) comics panels for his paintings. And fans have often drawn from the comics too, borrowing imagery from comics to make their look as much as they borrow from music videos (especially the Goth and Emo kids – Neil Gaiman’s Death must have launched a million kids into black eye-liner and Ankhs) while fashion gurus have given back to pop culture with designers like Gaultier creating costumes for movies such as The Fifth Element. And obviously no artistic work exists in a vacuum, so fashion designers borrow from comics artists and novelists might borrow from fashion to describe their characters (think on Brett Easton Ellis for example). Still, it does make me smile to think of all the fashionistas’ faces when they find out their latest designer, incredibly expensive label is inspired by comics. I will be watching eagerly to see if any designer-clad ladies drop into the store to pick up the latest copy of Fables.
What next then? A comics fashion special issue? Catwoman on the catwalk? Dazzler as the new face of Chanel? Actually, come to think of it, the unfeasible physiques of many mainstream superheroines like Supergirl might make them great clotheshorses for the fashion industry. (Today Joe is modelling the latest haute couture from Oxfam’s thrift shop, Snoopy ‘Joe Cool’ socks from Sock Shop and fetching headwear from that bloke with the dreads who sells bandanas from a stall at the Festival. He is waiting on a call from Prada as we speak but fears he is more likely to hear from Lada)
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