Image credit: courtesy of @prada.archive
@prada.archive
Few designers have influenced popular culture as much as Miuccia Prada did with her Prada Linea Rossa collection of 1997. As those nylon-clad codes inspire a new generation of Prada obsessives, Nat Tong’s @prada.archive unpacks the designer’s growing cultural impact, and the nuances which have made its futurist approach one of the most covetable eras of contemporary fashion design. As the son of two 1990s Prada enthusiasts, Tong’s ongoing comparative analysis of the years which saw the house’s signature nylons peak, between 1998 and 2003, and the way the aesthetic continues to resonate today, reminds us where those codes originate. “I think that brands like Prada (among others) are what emerging designers really take heavy inspiration from these days, so it’s important to shed light on the brands that laid down the foundations,” says Tong.
Image credit: Getty Images
As one of fashion’s most transformative decades draws to a close, much has been written about how Instagram has emerged as a driving force for change. Without it we might have missed out on our daily dose of Diet Prada, a truly mobilised fashion democracy, the CGI influencer, influencers in general and, perhaps most markedly, our increasing desire to connect with fashion’s often elusive history.
Up until recently, gaining access to historic fashion archives meant studying the subject at a leading institution, wading through endless hours of found footage, trawling auctions, stores and every corner of the internet for rare books and magazines. But thanks to the rise of Instagram’s fashion archivists, the narratives of our favourite designers are being retold in a way that we can all access.
As the attention economy reaches peak saturation point, the rising popularity of these archivists signals more than a nostalgic appreciation of anti-fashion aesthetics. Instead, their proliferation has come to symbolise a collective eagerness to understand the designers we wear and the ways their collections inform the work of others. From @mcqueen_vault to @rarebooksparis, rounds up five fashion historians you should be following on Instagram.
Image credit: Instagram.com/rarebooksparis
@mcqueen_vault
Alexander McQueen boasts an occult following, and John Matheson has given them all a place to congregate. The work of a 25-year haul, Matheson’s archive amounts to more than a gallery of designs. When collecting, he explains that he looks for “more about the teams around the designer and their contributions, which showcase [McQueen’s] unique ability to find the best talent to realise his vision”. Perhaps the most extensive archive among his peers, Matheson offers a nuanced insight into the work of both the late Lee Alexander McQueen and current creative director Sarah Burton, who has ushered in a new vision. Reaching further than a mere timeline or document ever could, @mcqueen_vault offers a community dedicated to the late designer and the fashion house, with nuances surrounding its history which you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
@rarebooksparis
Having worked as a designer in Paris for more than 15 years, the mystery owner of @rarebooksparis has one of the most lauded collections of fashion artefacts on the internet – and you can buy into it, too. While the account doesn’t set its focus on a single designer or house, its feed offers a kind of greatest hits of contributors to print. Whether it’s Franz West’s , a rare document of Martin Margiela’s work circa 1999 by Mark Borthwick or a first-edition copy of Issey Miyake’s , there is good reason that the account has been branded “the ultimate vintage fashion and art resource”. When asked about the importance of accessibility to fashion’s printed archives in the digital age, the owner says: “As garments face their worldly mortality and online images endlessly diffuse, printed publications become of huge importance to experience a designer’s work. A kind of theatrical document, these publications offer unique insight as they freeze a performative constellation of various fashion actors, from graphic designers, photographers, stylists, models and set designers.”
Image credit: Instagram.com/margiela.archive
@margiela.archive
Few designers offer the mystique and polarisation that the legacy of Martin Margiela does, and @margiela.archive unites Margiela’s devout fans all by reminding us how the house came to be in the first place. “Margiela’s role as a commercial luxury fashion brand often makes its anti-fashion message hard to pick up on if you don’t know the history of the brand. I hope that if my account has done anything, it has provided more people with an insight into Martin Margiela’s initial message to the industry,” @margiela.archive’s Darius Fischbacher tells . Fischbacher was first drawn to Maison Margiela while scrolling Tumblr and mining Style.com and Vogue Runway, and began building an archive to better understand the brand. He wanted to share it so that others who are starting out on their fashion education can access the house’s legacy.
Image credit: Instagram.com/archivings.stacks
@archivings.stacks
Shahan Assadourian’s erudite analysis of fashion’s forgotten moments began as a means of exploring an affinity with older 1990s runway trade publications, like , and the often-rare Japanese designers they championed. This eventually led to the collecting and sharing of a vast range of history that was difficult to discover online. The archive is one of the most engaging and comprehensive collections available on social media and his posts find a way to retell history with humorous flamboyance. “I try to make sure I have a point of view and perhaps a sense of humour about what I post, as opposed to being a neutral observer and presenter of information,” Assadourian explains. But just because he is lighthearted about the subjects of his posts, it doesn’t mean they aren’t taken seriously. “Archive accounts don’t only tap into our thinking about fashion, but also a hopefulness about the future,” he continues. “Similar to how Vincent van Gogh was only considered a genius after he had died, one who might not feel appreciated now can maybe plant a seed that in the future someone might understand them. Perhaps, by those who are looking back through their archives.”
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