MINIMALISM; 'THE MODERN AGE'

Over the past few seasons, the landscape of modern fashion has undergone a slight shift. After the huge demand for excess and glamour in the early Noughties saw designers such as Tom Ford and Donatella Versace rise to the top of the fashion food chain, consumers have recently started looking towards a more sleek, simple look. Perhaps it is due to the recession - the main argument here is that people are now only prepared to spend on designer clothing if they see a garment as an investment, therefore if an item is simple in design but high in quality then it is seen as more "timeless" than a trend piece. Another view is that the world has simply grown bored of high-glamour, especially considering that there can be a fine line between expensive and excessive, both in terms of price and design. No matter how we decide to rationalise it, it is undeniable that "minimalism" has been re-introduced to fashion in a major way, and thanks to designers such as Phoebe Philo, Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada, it looks set to dominate the wardrobes of the general public for the next few seasons. 

The next few blogposts are dedicated to looking at the evolution of "minimalism" in all its forms. From the clean lines and loose tailoring of Japanese design through to the sharp structure and muted colours of designers such as Phoebe Philo and Helmut Lang, I will look at different examples of the concept and focus on the headstrong designers that helped establish the classic fashion mantra that less is more. The posts will be arranged in a vaguely chronological order, which is why the first post is dedicated to none other than the legendary Yohji Yamamoto. Alongside Rei Kawakubo, he helped to shift the focus of fashion from glamour to functionality - the reason that I have chosen to write about Yamamoto instead of Kawakubo is simply that Kawakubo's earlier collections had a tendency to focus on deconstruction as opposed to simplicity.