WWearable art, also known as Artwear or "art to wear", refers to individually designed pieces of (usually) handmade clothing or jewellery created as fine or expressive art. While the making of any article of clothing or other wearable object typically involves aesthetic considerations, the term wearable art implies that the work is intended to be accepted as a serious and unique artistic creation or statement. Wearable art is not intended to be worn as everyday clothing but one that is meant to draw attention while it is being displayed or modeled. Pieces may be sold and/or exhibited. The modern idea of wearable art seems to have surfaced more than once in various forms. Marbeth Schon's book on modernist jewellery refers to a "wearable art movement" spanning roughly the years 1930 to 1960. A 2003 The New York Times review of a book on knitting refers to "the 60s Art to Wear movement".
WGeorge Brooks was one of the first designers and fabricators of modernist and wearable art jewelry in Canada, and later relocated to Santa Barbara in California.
WMagnhild Kennedy, better known professionally as Damselfrau, is a London-based Norwegian artist. She creates wearable art, mostly masks and jewellery. Her masks are presented on her own Instagram account and on several other websites; in magazines and exhibitions – and they are used by internationally known singers and other artists in their videos or on stage, as parts of their own projects.
WThe Mondrian Collection was designed by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent (1936–2008) in 1965. This collection was a homage to the work of several modernistic artists. Part of this collection were six cocktail dresses that were inspired by the paintings of Piet Mondrian (1872–1944). Because these six dresses played a major role in this collection the collection is called the Mondrian Collection. In academic literature it has been questioned whether this name fully covers the aim of the collection, since there are other artists who inspired Saint Laurent such as Poliakoff and Malevich. However, Mondrian seemed to play a leading role in this collection.
WElena Stonaker is an American fine artist and designer who lives and works in Los Angeles. She is known for her intricate textile work and soft sculpture installations created upon myth-based narratives.
WKaisik Wong was a Chinese-American fashion designer. He was best known for his patchwork vest, which was plagiarized for Balenciaga's Spring/Summer 2002 collection.
WWorld of WearableArt (WOW) is an internationally recognised design competition, attracting entries from more than 40 countries each year. The competition features wearable art entries, which are judged on durability, the safety and comfort of the models, and the impact of the design on the stage. During the three weeks of the competition, around 60,000 people attend the event in Wellington.