Hurray. Hamburgs new off-gallery  Sternschanze 1 celebrates its first exhibition “Freunde” on saturday, 29th august, 7 pm.
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Hussein Chalayan – From Fashion and back. exhibition at Design Museum London from today till may 17th.
Leading the forefront of contemporary fashion design, the twice named ‘British Designer of the Year,’ Hussein Chalayan, is renowned for his innovative use of materials, meticulous pattern cutting and progressive attitudes to new technology. … (more…)

RRRIPP!! Paper Fashion
From October 11, 2008 to February 2, 2009

Mudam presents RRRIPP!! Paper Fashion.
“This exhibition conceived by ATOPOS, constitutes a research result on paper clothing, a very widespread phenomenon in the United States at the end of the sixties, but little known by the general public. (…)Presenting various methods to use paper in the fashion of today, it shows design, art and publicity objects, as well as filmed fashion shows and recent creations by some of the most innovating fashion designers. (…)” (more…)

Press release:
CIRCLECULTURE GALLERY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION OF BERLIN-BASED STREET ARTIST XOOOOX: “MOLOTOV HIGH HEELS”.
OPENING: JULY 17TH 2008, 7PM, EXHIBITION: JULY 18TH UNTIL SEPTEMBER 10TH 2008

XOOOOX has been a prolific graffiti artist since the mid 1990ʼs. Early experiments with collage gradually evolved into the artistʼs signature stencil work, typically life-size figures or appropriated designer logos found predominately on the streets of Berlin and in Paris, Milan, Vienna, New York…
The exhibition will include emblematic stencil work by xoooox, as well as new collage and sculpture made from common materials such as cardboard, flea market furniture, found objects and discarded fashion magazines. A large-scale, public work, will accompany the exhibition.
XOOOOX manipulates immediately recognizable logos of upscale brands like Coco Chanel, re-contextualizing these elitist class signifiers within the inherently egalitarian space of the urban public sphere, while commenting on the visual power of branding in general. Life-sized stencils of females, conspicuously posed and styled as models often are, depict the icons of fashionʼs cult of worship and recall the work of street art legends such as Blek le Rat, Misstick and Banksy, functioning as both traditional figurative studies and ironic representations of societyʼs obsession with the superficial. Although XOOOOXʼs stenciled images are inspired by the fashion spreads seen in magazines such as Vogue and avant-garde publications like Purple, this work is not a deconstruction of couture culture. On the contrary, each stencil, created painstakingly by hand, pays homage to the art form that is couture fashion, while criticizing the massmerchandising and advertising campaigns of global retail chains. Citing Pop Art, DADA and, of course, graffiti as major influences, the artist states, “You can use the power of fashion like a personal weapon. It can act like a shield, or it can destroy you.”

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
»Inoperable Poster Show« Vienna, 2007
»Finders Keepers« Milan, 2006
»Hollywood The Remix« New York, 2005
www.xoooox.com

For further information please contact the gallery.
Circleculture Gallery, Gipsstrasse 11, 10119 Berlin Mitte, Germany
berlin@circleculture-gallery.com, www.circleculture-gallery.com

Jan Poppenhagen did a great photoseries about the style from kids from Berlin-Moabit. More about Jan Poppenhagen, here.

Photos from Jan Poppenhagen

Dresses with little pockets for colored felt-tip pens that bleed into the fabric? At first glance this sounds kind of odd to me. But Portuguese artist Fernando Brizio disabuses me.
As part of the Turin-based exhibition “flexibility – design in a fast changing society” Brizio turns heads with his “renewable clothing”, based on the concept I mentioned before. Surprisingly, the dresses are very beautiful and wearable. And the greatest thing of all: the dresses can be cleaned and colored again…and again…and again. Stunning idea! For more, jump to designboom.

All photos from designboom

Liza Snook´s Virtual Shoe Museum is one of the most interesting databases for all kind of „shoe”-themes. In 2004 Snook called on artists, designers and photographers from all over the world to present their creations. Thanks god – they respond the call and helped to create a sweeping and very well arranged virtual exhibition, that is ordered by various criteria like Designers, Styles, Usage, Color, Materials, …
I was looking for the experimental and artsy shoes. But although those who search for danceshoes, cowboy boots, High Heels, high-tec creations etc. will discover amazing stuff in the Virtual Shoe Museum.

All Photos via Virtual Shoe Museum

Since June 18th, the Barbican Art Gallery in London has opened its doors to honor the Dutch design duo Victor & Rolf. The highlights from 15 years of Victor & Rolf fashion design are presented. And…what makes it spectacular? Mentioning is, that it´s the first exhibition ever in the UK that centers the work of the Dutch designers. Besides that, the most surprising fact is, that the key dresses haven´t only put from the designer´s fashion archive to the museum – instead of choosing the easy way, Viktor & Rolf reproduced every single key style in a puppet size.
50 dolls, dressed up in the 50 most mentionable designs by Viktor & Rolf are now standing around in the Barbican Art Gallery, waiting for admiring gawks, for ecstatic delights and for jealous astonishments. For those, who doesn´t live in the middle of London – you have time till September 18^th to book a flight or, you´ll find great pictures and more info at Viktor & Rolf and on the site of the Barbican Art Gallery.

Photos via Victor & Rolf

And here, the official press text follows.
A stunning new exhibition showcasing the work of Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf opens on 18 June. This is the first time in the United Kingdom that an exhibition has been devoted to this highly influential duo. Over the past 15 years Viktor & Rolf have taken the fashion world by storm with their particular blend of cool irony and surreal beauty.
The House of Viktor & Rolf presents each of the designer’s signature pieces from 1992 to now, shown in a specially commissioned and characteristically theatrical installation that dominates the entire Gallery. Highlights include pieces from Atomic Bomb, 1998-99, featuring dramatic mushroom cloud-like cushioned necklines and Russian Doll, 1999-2000, in which a single model was painstakingly dressed by Viktor & Rolf until she was gasping under 70 kilogrammes of exquisite haute couture. For the collection Bells, 2000-2001, models emerged from a smoke-filled space in clothes embroidered with hundreds of brass bells, so they were heard before they could be seen.
Drawing on the Dutch tradition of silver plating a baby’s first shoe as a keepsake, the climax of Viktor & Rolf’s Autumn/Winter collection of 2006-07, was a strapless wedding dress with a wide petticoated knee length skirt, silver plated, including even the bride’s bouquet.

Publication
A 256 page hardback book, the most comprehensive on the work of Viktor & Rolf to date, including 400 fashion photographers, catwalk images and exclusive illustrations and polaroids, is available at a special exhibition price of £32.95 (RRP £35).

Text by Caroline Evans and Susannah Frankel. Designed by FUEL. Published by Merrell in association with Barbican Art Gallery.

The House of Viktor & Rolf Shop
Be sure not to miss The House of Viktor & Rolf shop. As well as selling the book that accompanies the exhibition, a specially commissioned silk scarf by the designers, limited edition versions of their famous perfumes and exhibition postcards, Viktor & Rolf have also selected a unique range of designer objects, books and curiosities that have inspired them.

Fashion Late-Every Thursday until 10pm
Throughout the exhibition, Barbican Art Gallery is open every Thursday evening until 10pm. Join us for late night themed evenings with a BIG difference. Enjoy fashion fun and games, performances, discussions, master classes, workshops and Off the Peg talks by leading fashion commentators.
Meet a friend at The House of Viktor & Rolf bar where you can enjoy a specially mixed cocktail.

The first Thursday of every month offers that extra bit of interactive fashion excitement. Part of Time Out First Thursdays.

The House of Viktor & Rolf events programme is presented by Barbican Art Gallery in partnership with Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion.