Matthew Williamson: Fashion Meets Art

By Helen Kourpas

Artists can inject a little sun into your wardrobe. Matthew Williamson experiments with artistic fashion in his latest show. The clothes that when worn, change your mood. I was engulfed by colour as I entered Matthew Williamson’s exhibition at the Somerset House in London. He is from Manchester and along with his Northern sense of humour; he has been able to generate a phenomenal, fantastical brand. The electric and pure bright colours of his unique garments blinded me with admiration. There was not an actual frock insight, but large photographs of his crafty creations. These photographs of his collection feature models like Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Jade Jagger and Agness Deyn putting a stamp on the designer’s high status. The photographs of his textile designs and mood boards along with sketches evoke uplifting feelings however the lack of dates meant that tracking Williamson’s thought process was hard. The dragonfly theme and the bright cupcake colours are a running motif in most of the women’s outfits. The dresses are fun and employ adventure with geometric lines. The bold, dark, distinctive jewellery that accompanies each outfit underlines the modern urban feel of each photographic scene.

I adored the first mood board as it is impulsive. It is a collage composed of about twenty rainbow coloured gifts. I was drawn in by the separate images all displayed on one huge billboard like surface. It gives you an insight into Williamson’s trail of thought and his first steps into getting the magic ideas materialised. It included a glowing royal angel fish, juxtaposed with luminous pink lips and the delicate almost x-ray like, zoomed image of a dragonfly’s wing. It portrayed the fantasy of an exotic island that can be clearly linked to Williamson’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection shown in this exhibition. It is art. The art of constructing a vision that goes beyond reality. It reflects the Edenic design of the long, light, lifted dresses that embrace an escapist twist, with the simple shapes, shades and patterns. His bohemian dresses are simply colour drenched creations embellished with beautiful broidery and beading.

Williamson’s is an artist; his work is framed by not only the bright bubble prints but also the use of a dragonfly motif, associated with change and dreamy thoughts. This creature can be spotted on the shoulder of cardigans, repeated on the back of dresses and suggestive in certain forms. There is a deeper thought under the fabric facade. Anne Wintour, Editor in chief, Vogue USA claims that Matthew brought ‘joyful energy to the London fashion scene…with unabashedly pretty clothes’ that ultimately stand out from the norm. Williamson once said that his ‘main objective to this day is to create clothes [he has] a passion for.’ Inevitably this passion will cement his place in the future of fashion. His drive and ambitious mindset has become a success, he has formed the internationally recognised British labels of the century. I believe that art should induce feelings, and Williamson’s clothes are saturated in optimism and vitality.