Typography is a key inspiration in fashion especially when it comes to creating clear, refined and inventive lettering for graphic prints (but we also looked at the influence of typography in yarns in a previous post).
The history of fashion often registered the influence of modernist typography such as the Bauhaus', that mainly employed typefaces known as grotesque (a style known in Germany as Akzidenz Grotesk). In this case capital letters were often fitted into rectangles, while type material such as rules and bullets were used as ornament.
The dynamic typography of Russian Constructivist El Lissitzky, the innovator of photo-montage posters and one of the pioneers of the modern movement in design - inspired in his work by Suprematist painter Malevich - was a strong influence on modern typography and so was László Moholy-Nagy. The latter wrote in 1923 an article about "New Typography" stating that it was aimed at making texts visually clearer and more penetrating, while also leading to an entirely new typographic language.
Typography provided Mint Designs' Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi with some of the best inspirations for their Autumn/Winter 2013 collection recently showcased during Tokyo Fashion Week.
Dresses and coats were characterised by a letter motif with a punk edge in white/grey/black with shots of electric blue and green. These were definitely the best designs of the entire collection, that also featured a puzzle pieces print (maybe less original as already seen in fashion).
Interestingly enough, the asymmetries and the way the letterings appeared called to mind the cover design for Vorticist journal Blast (issue 1 by Wyndham Lewis, 1914), with its asymmetrical big bold capital letters across the page printed from wood letters in black on a cerise board, but also seemed to reflect the influence of the diagonal influence of Suprematism mixed with subversive punk graphisms.
Rather than being "purposeful", though, typography was employed in this case to achieve a merely decorative aim. Indeed, the more you look at the designs, the more Johannes Molzahn comes to your mind. The Bauhaus artist summed the aims of "New Typography" in an article entitled "Stop Reading! Look!".
Molzahn hinted in his article at the fact that new typography was supposed to make reading more like looking in an increasingly visually portrayed world and at a new way of reading - free, natural and universal. While not everything he may have stated in that feature can be applied to this collection, his motto - "Stop Reading! Look!" - perfectly fits it.
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The trend of typography in fashion is growing, typographic apparel and accessories put a voice to design. All the outfits presented in the pics in this post are superb.
Posted by: men fashion clothing | March 29, 2013 at 08:27 AM
This is completely new for me in fashion trend. I am thankful to Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi both. These designs are like unbeatable of the entire collection.
Posted by: Diploma Courses in Jewellery Designing | April 02, 2013 at 03:56 AM