Caroline Evans, Suzy Menkes, Bradley Quinn, a.o.

Hussein Chalayan

Design: Rudo Menge, Illustrated (colour and b/w), Photography: Chris Moore, Paperback, 192 pages, Size: ca. 21 x 27 cm
English edition, ISBN 90-5662-443-1 / 978-90-5662-443-9, € 35.00 / OUT OF PRINT
Dutch edition, ISBN 90-5662-426-1 / 978-90-5662-426-2, € 35.00

In association with Groninger Museum, Groningen.
Exhibition: April 17 - September 4, 2005, Groninger Museum, Groningen

Hussein Chalayan (b. Nicosia, Cyprus, 1970) is an internationally regarded fashion designer who is renowned for his innovative use of materials, meticulous pattern cutting and progressive attitude to new technology. Chalayan was twice voted British Designer of the Year (in 1999 and 2000).

Chalayan is a designer who pushes clothes to the point where they become sculpture, furniture or even architecture. While most fashion design seems to be obsessed with glamour, Chalayan's work is conceptual and political.
Chalayan is inspired by architectural theories, science and technology. He famously produced a collection which included chairs and tables that became garments. This collection sealed his reputation. Fashion writers described it as the most beautiful show they had ever seen.

Chalayan's compelling originality and unusual approach to fashion design does not detract from the beautifully tailored dresses and innovative use of fabrics, which have won him many celebrity fans, including Madonna, Sofia Coppola and Björk.

Selected exhibitions where his work has been presented: Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe (2004); Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2003); Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2001); F.I.T., New York (2001); 7th International Istanbul Biennale (2001); Tate Modern, London (2001); Musée de la Mode, Palais du Louvre, Paris (1999).

This book will be the first in-depth monograph on his work, celebrating Chalayan's tenth anniversary in fashion. It does not simply document the highlights from ten years of fashion design, but also includes his installations and video projects.
Besides an essay on Chalayan's work by leading fashion critic Caroline Evans (author of Fashion at the Edge), other authors, including Suzy Menkes (fashion editor for the International Herald Tribune) and Bradley Quinn (author of Techno Fashion), shed light on his work from various angles and disciplines.