Transgressive Fashion Design – 4 radical designers push the boundaries of latex

Latex is a paradoxical material. For decades, designers have been fascinated by its contradictory dual nature: being both protective and mundane, while simultaneously being associated with sensuality and a subversive depravity. Latex is like putting on a second skin; it's tight, sweaty, and uncomfortable.

The waterproof Mackintosh raincoat , patented in Scotland in 1824, despite its practical origins in gloves, gas masks, and rubber boots, evoked a sensual response in many people. Thanks to a dedicated member of the Mackintosh Society who was fascinated by the smell, sound, and stickiness of the synthetic garment, latex is now a key component of fetish clothing .

Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren pioneered the punk appropriation of BDSM clothing in their 1970s boutique SEX haute couture , from catsuits of the space age of cinema to the designs of Atsuko Kudo . The transformative ritual of dressing is intensified when wearing latex, requiring shining, greasing, and powdering.

Studio FCLX 's PANDEMIC collection , featuring ripped black clothing, demonstrated in 2020 just how remarkable and adaptable latex can be. That same year, Naomi Campbell's pink latex gloves achieved viral fame.

AGF Hydra 's practically living garments demonstrated the fabric's ability to transcend the narrow confines of the sexual or therapeutic.

Let us turn our attention to four designers who are reviving latex with gender-specific styles and environmentally friendly manufacturing, thereby pushing creative boundaries.

Atsuko Kudo

Since 2001, Japanese designer Atsuko Kudo producing latex clothing. Her specialties include groundbreaking latex weaving techniques, intricate details, pleating, latex catsuits , bodysuits, and distinctive prints. Kudo founded her fashion company in New York with the first latex runway show, featuring Crystal Renn as the closing act.

Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Dita von Teese, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Eva Mendes, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Brook and Grace Jones have worn their clothes.

Hussein Chalayan, Cerruti, Vivienne Westwood, and Fendi have all drawn on the artistry of the latex designer. Nicola Formichetti and Kudo designed and produced Mugler's Fall/Winter 2011 women's collection.

Kudo began working with Lady Gaga He created Gaga's Glastonbury performance outfit and the Elizabethan-style red latex ruff dress that made headlines when she met the Queen. The Queen chose the same photograph for Windsor Castle's Diamond Jubilee exhibition. Kudo later developed many of Gaga's most famous latex ensembles, including her Mugler-designed "condom-inspired" AIDS awareness garment, as well as countless film and stage performances.

At the first UK Lingerie Awards in September 2011, Atsuko Kudo was "Most Innovative Brand of the Year" .

STUDIO FCLX

FCLX, based in Hackney Wick (London, UK) , only started producing latex streetwear in 2018, it has already caused a stir in the rubber goods industry. ( Terms & Conditions apply.)

Empowering people outside their social and gender-specific constructs and making fashion more gender-specific,"

So says FCLX. The designer collective states that it is driven by the desire latex clothing grow beyond the fetish market. Their collection of transparent fur coats, skintight leopard-print shorts, lime green marbled flares, and vibrant short tops with chainmail is influenced by club culture and the LGBTQ scene .

A departure from FCLX's characteristic vibrant color palette was showcased in the PANDEMIC collection . Classic black latex was the material of choice, and the collection reaffirmed the studio's whimsical design approach with coats featuring fringed sleeves and flexible trousers with snap fasteners, as well as glossy black dresses that were as tense and ragged as the unsettled mood of the corona-plagued year 2020.

Studio FCLX is a London-based fashion label specializing in handcrafted, unique accessories such as studded harnesses and red latex berets, with a strong focus on environmental sustainability. Individuality and slow fashion are in the label's DNA.

AGF HYDRA

In the computer-generated short film Hydra Cosmic Womb, an otherworldly, formless being floats through an eerie underwater environment. The HYDRA archetype of "sustainability, craftsmanship, and longevity in a transpersonal future" is conveyed through meditative subtitles. The latex label and research project AGF HYDRA , whose name "has many heads ," includes this film among its numerous works.

Hydra revolves around the possibility of collective growth within a higher consciousness

So says founder Anna Gloria Flores (AGF). It encompasses VR, holistic therapy, immersive performance, moving images, and more Terms & Conditions are artifacts. phygital uniform is manufactured by AGF through handcrafted production and chlorination of latex, resulting in a surface that is both adaptable and friction-free.

“A regenerative practice” is how AGF describes their meditative manufacturing process in an interview with the style and culture magazine DAZED . According to AGF, HYDRA’s elastic latex skins act as intermediaries between the body and its environment due to their adaptability, water resistance, and biodegradability. Exploring a reality where latex design has transformed into a regenerative activity, Hydra offers translucent, signature kimono jackets, cape-like tops resembling liquid, and even a dress custom-made Baby Yoda

AW BRAND LATEX

With the founding of AW Brand Latex, Aidan Weiss fulfilled her layering dreams. When the fashion designer visited New York City and witnessed how the St. Mark's punks casually rocked latex, she realized:

I needed to know how this perfectly fitting, shimmering garment was made – and why it effectively boosted my self-esteem – after I bought my first piece at the nearest sex shop in Manhattan.”

Weiss transformed her memories of Manhattan's latex into her own brand, a bold statement that defied her conservative fashion school in Philadelphia and her teachers.

Beginning in 2018 with The Basics , a line of elegant, shaped bodysuits and underwear, AW Brand Latex has evolved into what she describes as "romantic fantasy ." In her later collections, Weiss emphasizes the whimsical and adaptable nature of latex with ruffled rubber ruffs and bespoke Madonna caps that reinterpret historical costumes.

Marigold corsets, detachable princess sleeves, and jeweled buckles contrast with delicate dusty rose dresses and ruffled blouses. In 2021, AW Brand Latex launched a new basics collection suitable for all body types.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.

www.kunstplaza.de