The spectacular fashion of collage, has had great representatives such as: Juan Gris, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Georges Brake, Man Ray and Max Ernst, but it had its origin when Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque came up with the brilliant idea of pasting pieces of newspapers and brochures in his works, becoming one of the most important artistic currents of recent times, and which currently flood computers and computer programs; as well as many of the most fashion catwalks in the world.
Picasso and Braque called this artistic technique “collage”; what does paste mean in french; and it contains a world of creativity and carefreeness proof of the naive person who executes it; thus being one of the most popular and attractive forms of expression for the general public.
Notably the first collage in history is attributed to Pablo Picasso; with his work «Still Life with a Chair», created in 1912; and that has been a reference for the world of surrealist and dadaist painting.
Currently, collage artists, although they apply the same traditional techniques, combine them with effects and retouching through the digital processing of images; that lead them to capture collages in video and 3D format on computers; which have gone from art galleries to be present in the fashion campaigns of international firms, in fashion magazines and even on the catwalks of the most famous designers in the world.
In this way, the spectacular and fascinating fashion of collage reached the fashion industry, to create designs from established concepts; and give way to abstraction as a fundamental pillar of this technique, which leaves the imagination to do its job, to conceptualize the new designs within the context of the inexplicable.
This technique reached the fashion catwalks, simulating through the volumes of the garments, the effects of the «papiers collés» used by the cubists and that gave rise to this fascinating mode of expression. These consisted of simple pieces of paper with a flat color, which were adhered to the canvases to increase the color effects.
This is how designers of the big brands; as well as creative novices who have come to the fashion industry to stay, have chosen to take their sketches, their scissors and their materials, many of which are scraps from other garments, to combine them and give way to daring, colorful designs, with volumes, carefree and very modern; that fit perfectly into the bodies of the most daring and free women, as if they were Pablo Picasso’s brushes and oil paintings; but helped by technology to capture their designs in three dimensions and thus create fabulous garments.
In this way, this trend seeks to make pieces with materials that achieve the visual effect through the combination of textures and colors; in order to create less flat and more daring proposals, which give women the opportunity to feel free, modern and different.
One of the fashion houses that has opted for this type of design is Prada, Italian fashion firm; which was founded by Mario Prada in 1913, and whose original name is Fratelli Prada; which means «Prada Brothers» in Italian. However, in 1978 Miuccia Prada, Mario Prada’s granddaughter, arrived at the firm; and gave a transcendental change for the company, which took it from being a local fur and leather business, to becoming an international fashion house; whose first collection was presented in the fall-winter season of 1989.
This is how the famous Prada fashion house has become one of the pioneering fashion companies in the use of collage, using it as support in its advertising campaigns and «lookbooks» such as «Prada Real Fantasies», Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Céline , Adolfo Domínguez, Oysho or DelPozo, among others.
Likewise, he has resorted to this technique on the stage of his catwalks and in his designs, which are full of color, volumes and combinations of materials, which manage to bring the essence of this painting technique to women’s clothing.
On the other hand, At present, a Spanish artist who has achieved great success has stood out; and he stands out for his creations with collagesto the point that his works are in international campaigns of great relevance worldwide. This is Ernesto Artillo; who comes from the world of advertising, won the “Versus” contest; which allowed him to work for three years in the Tendencias Magazine; and later venture into the world of fashion as part of the campaigns of fashion firms such as Dolce & Gabbana, DelPozo, Oysho, Holzweiler and Adolfo Domínguez.
Another of the outstanding collage designers is Nicolás Santos, whose collages transmit all the sensitivity and sensuality through daring and very creative designs; which has led him to collaborate with firms such as Kris Van Assche, Dior Homme, Tim Coppens or Camper.