Full Looks

Perhaps nothing is more important when it comes to understanding the avant-garde movement than the fact that much of it is conceived and presented in terms of “full looks,” rather than individual garments. Sure, the garments are all sold separately, but the holistic approach is more important within the avant-garde movement than in any other sub-genre.

That’s not to say that a proper avant-garde look consists only of wearing the same brand or collection head to toe, but rather, avant-garde garments—more than others—are generally designed with a designer’s specific aesthetic direction in mind. That’s not to say avant-garde items aren’t designed to bring out the most in other pieces, but like most things in life, directional clothing has a clearer aesthetic punch when paired well. But why?

Volume

Many avant-garde garments are designed with layering in mind—it’s integral to the aesthetic. Pieces are cut in ways that reveal what’s worn underneath, or to poke out from underneath an outer layer.

Consider the T-shirt as an example of how the avant-garde movement plays with volume. Many would consider the T-shirt to be a relatively “flat” garment. But, avant-garde designers turn the T-shirt into something with depth and character; they’re asymmetric or unnecessarily long, with bunched fabric and curved hems or with attached accoutrements. All together, it turns a flat garment into something that adds volume to the body.

The draping and layering so pervasive within the avant-garde community is another example of how avant-gardists create volume.

Varied Textures

The use of heterogenous textiles to create garments with texture goes hand-in-hand with the avant-garde movement’s emphasis on volume. Not only do avant-garde designers mix and match cotton, leather, wool and pretty much any material that can be used to make clothes, but they do so in unique ways: The cottons are sometimes dipped in rubber, the leathers cracked and warped.

And then there’s the use of different materials to create layers and shells—like Comme des Garçons’ sequinned tailoring—or using different variants of the same textiles to create a single garment.

That being said, leather and cotton—two of the most commonly known textiles—abound within the collections of avant-garde designers, possibly because they best showcase the imagination and workmanship of the design team.

Sculptural Clothing

Most clothing is rooted in utilitarianism—from the advent of jeans to double-sided zippers—but avant-garde clothing is more artistic in nature and often seeks to push the limits of what we consider clothes to be. Voluminous and textured, avant-garde clothing is more inspired by sculpture than by utilitarianism—a wearable work of art that uses the human body as a vessel, but does not seek to bring attention to the body. Instead, the viewer’s attention is squarely on the clothing. As such, avant-garde garments are often described as “concealing the body” or even as altering the human silhouette.

Perhaps the greatest example of this was Rei Kawakubo’s Spring/Summer 1997 Comme des Garçons womenswear collection—famously known as “Lumps and Bumps”—that saw an array of dresses that challenged notions of what was considered an “attractive” silhouette. But avant-garde menswear contains an element of sculptural art, as well. Consider Comme des Garçons’ use of plastic toys to adorn suits and sneakers, or Carol Christian Poell’s drip boots—they are details that have little practical use but which create a certain sense of bewilderment.

Monochromatic

While not all avant-garde clothing is black, it’s impossible to deny that a lot of it is. And, whatever isn’t tends to fall in relatively muted parts of the spectrum—gray, brown, beige, white, off-white, dark grey, very dark green. Of course there are exceptions. Many think that Rick Owens only works with black, white and grey, but his seasonal collections almost always include an infusion of color, be it purple or green.

For the most part however, avant-garde collections are designed with strict color guidelines, where a single color is used throughout to accent the earth tones. Those who wear avant-garde clothing, for their part, tend to put outfits together monochromatically—a phenomenon birthed on the runway, which has trickled down to the streets.

Layering T-Shirts

This is the foundation of any outfit—lest you subscribe to the John Mayer school of thought that pants are the first thing one should decide on. We’ve already touched on how avant-garde designers elevate even the simplest T-shirt.

As base layers, most avant-garde T-shirts will be cut longer than your classic crewneck T-shirt, using a lighter weight cotton and a neutral color—think black, grey, sand or off-white. It’s not uncommon to have the base T-shirt peeking out under sweaters or jackets. Occasionally, these shirts will have rounded lower hem lines or a thinner fabric; these details give even the humble T-shirt a handmade quality—adding to the overall “craft” narrative that most avant-garde designers pride themselves on.

Leather Footwear

While the styles of avant-garde designers are disparate, they are united by a shared love for leather footwear. It’s hard to categorize the offerings other than that, though—they oscillate between boots and sneakers and proper shoes, composed of equal parts familiar and curious details. Sometimes they’re wholly impractical and others, they seem designed in ways that defy both logic and physics (see Carol Christian Poell’s “Drip” sneakers or Rick Owens’ sock sneakers).

True to the ethos of the avant-garde movement, the footwear is not thought of in utilitarian terms, but rather as a compliment or continuation to the rest of the outfit.

Jackets

Jackets are another integral piece of any avant-garde collection. They often feature unique uses of hardware, be it in the form of asymmetrical zippers, peculiar button placement or unorthodox pockets. Avant-garde outer layers are among the best standalone examples of the aesthetic: They’re cut in unique ways that give the garments a sculptural look, whether they’re on a hanger or worn, and often feature materials that emphasize texture, be it rigid, shiny leather or pre-wrinkled cotton.

Leather jackets (including motorcycle jackets), blazers and bomber jackets make up the core of the avant-garde outerwear offering and most of the canonical avant-garde designers have at least one such stand out piece. Examples of this approach include: Blackmeans’ “Sid Vicious” (distressed with the goal of showing what Vicious’ own leather jacket might look like if it appeared in a vintage shop in present day), Carol Christian Poell’s “Scarstich” jacket, or Rick Owens’ “Stooges” jacket.

By its very nature, avant-garde fashion is conceptual and—frankly—unique; each designer or brand has a very clear individual perspective (and, usually, a devoted cult following). But even with different perspectives on fashion and design, “avant-garde” labels share a few similarities that help them stand apart their fashion contemporaries. From conceptual runway labels to designers shrouded in nothing short of mystery, these are few labels to explore if you want to dive into the world of avant-garde fashion.

Yohji Yamamoto

Few designers have been as influential as Yohji Yamamoto and even fewer have enjoyed widespread commercial success in the same way he has, despite being an avant-gardist. Yamamoto’s designs appear simple, but when worn together, they create complex, multi-layered looks that are exemplary of how clothing can conceal the body.

Comme des Garçons

While not all brands that fall under the Comme des Garçons umbrella can be considered avant-garde, there is no doubt that Comme des Garçons Homme Plus is among the most experimental brands in menswear. Rei Kawakubo and the Comme des Garçons design team have been at the forefront of fashion for decades, offering garments that are equal parts bewildering and mesmerizing.

Walter Van Beirendonck

While maybe less well-known for his contemporary collections, Walter Van Beirendonck has been an influential voice in fashion—and within the avant-garde movement—for decades. A member of the Antwerp Six, Van Beirendonck’s creations are undoubtedly the most colourful of the avant-garde guard.

Ann Demeulemeester

Ann Demeulemeester is another influential member of the Antwerp Six, who had rebuffed approaches to helm major labels in order to protect her independence. This allowed her eponymous label to exist without industry influence. The Belgian designer stepped away from her label in 2013, but her archival designs carry important weight within the avant-garde community.

Julius

Launched in 2001 by Tatsuro Horikawa, Julius is sometimes seen as a “Japanese Rick Owens.” The brand’s collections are filled with the aforementioned avant-garde classics, from leather jackets to leather boots and from flowing, draping T-shirts to textured pants. When it comes to concealing the body and creating both volume and texture using cotton and leather, few brands do it better than Julius.

Craig Green

Many of the most well-known avant-garde designers have been around for decades. Upstart labels today tend to be concentrated in more commercial sub-genres, but Craig Green is the exception that makes the rule. Only 33, Green interned for Walter Van Beirendonck before launching his eponymous label, which has earned industry-wide acclaim over the years. Best known for his bondage jackets and dangling straps, Green's creations are unique and intriguing, and have a structure to them that is decidedly sculptural. While other avant-gardists have taken a dark or drapey approach to design, Green reworks workwear silhouettes.

Boris Bidjan Saberi

Boris Bidjan Saberi’s catalogue may seem repetitive to the untrained eye, but each garment—no matter how similar it may look to one from previous seasons—is chock full of small, unique details. It’s this attention to detail and thirst for innovation that has made Saberi a celebrated designer. His collaboration with Salomon helped propel the French outdoor brand to new heights within fashion circles.

Carol Christian Poell

Perhaps no other avant-garde designer is fetishized as much as Carol Christian Poell. Poell has been active since the mid-’90s and while he’s best known for his intricate leather garments and mind-bending drip boots, the Austrian designer’s cult following owes to his ceaseless experimentation. His designs are exactly why the avant-garde movement exists as a category—Poell’s work is so unlike anything else in fashion that it would be impossible to pigeon-hole him in any other niche.

Rick Owens

Arguably the king of draping and layering, Rick Owens is now one of the most widely known avant-garde designers. Worn by rappers, basketball players, industry insiders and common folk alike, Rick Owens may be the most accessible avant-garde label—a foundational label for those looking to expand their sartorial options into more obscure territory. Owens’ runway shows may actually be more avant-garde than his clothing, another example of how the avant-garde movement envisions things holistically, rather than on a granular garment-by-garment basis.

m.a+

Born out of the wider reach of the Carpe Diem collective of designers, m.a+ was founded shortly after Carpe Diem ceased, helmed by Maurizio Amadei. While m.a+ has produced a variety of goods, the brand’s specialty is in leather. A key signature of m.a+ is its leather belts, identified by a metal “+” appearing at some part of the belt.