A Study on Avant - garde Fashion

Roh, Jungshim(Dept. of Clothing and Textiles, Graduate School of Seoul National University) Advised by Prof. Kim, Minja

The purpose of this study is to apply the concept of avant-garde which is a form of criticism of tradition and self on fashion to understand a branch of diverging modern fashion, avant-garde.

For this purpose, comprehension on widely discussed idea of avant-garde, furthermore grasping the internal meaning and external form by inquiring historically avant-garde fashion, and importantly looking into new ideas pursued by avant-garde fashion by studying traits of aant-garde in 1980's and after are done.

The conclusion of this study are as follows;

First, avant-garde is aesthetic extremism which neglects traditionalisms in the past but pursues newness. Started from anti-academism, anti-bourgeois modernity, it denied traditional way of expression and principles of Aesthetic but created newness.

Second, avant-garde fashion began from style which resisted bourgeois modernity and imperative ideal beauty of west, and is continued in styles of revolting subculture which expressed their value. Likewise avant-garde fashion's principle contradics tradition but pursues newness. Therefore executed dialectic of newness by outlining and continuously denying value-structure and authenticity which have defined aesthetic of dress until now. One, by denial of traditional seperation of gender, in other words masculinity and femininity, avant-garde fashion expressed confusion and absence of sexuality and by opposing ideal beauty of body by dress it pursued form of dress itself. This include Dandy, Poiret, Chanel, after-war subculture and, 1970's Japanese designer's work. Two, avant-garde fashion contradicted relationship between traditional meaning of time and space and simultaneously expressing opposite elements in order to pursue aesthetic relativism. Compromise between today's and yesterday's style, and also between ethnic and western element are examples. Three, avant-garde fashion accomodated kitsch and therefore destroying traditional aesthetic order of elegance and vulgarity. For example, incroyable, pop fashion, punk fashion, etc. This anti-traditionalism of avant-garde fashion resolted deviation from genre of all value area.

Third, avant-gard art set its goal on freeing many aspects of human moral which have been suppressed by rationality. And it is achieved by suggesting dissonance against traditional aesthetic of order, balance, and organic unity. Avant-garde fashion also denied order, harmony, and organic unity in dress which enabled free expression of characteristic. And doing so, it tried to free diverging human moral. Avant-garde fashion that disagrees traditional aesthetic of dress, expresses endless change and freedom.

Key Words : Avant-garde Fashion, Kitsch, anti-traditionalism, newness