Chalayan

Hussein Chalayan is a Cypriot-born Turkish fashion designer. He has won the British Designer of the Year twice (in 1999 and 2000) and was awarded the MBE in 2006. Chalayan is currently teaching at University of Applied Arts Vienna. In his fashion designs he integrates human body and clothing with technology, science and architecture, playing with the narratives constructed around culture and anthropology. To construct these stories he combines his artistic fashion work with installations music and cinema.

This is why his catwalk shows are often referred to as performances rather than fashion. According to Chalayan however part of this perception is related to the fact that the garments that are eventually talked about are the ones that are the most innovative, in some cases even described as ‘wearable art' and not the rest of the collections that show highly wearable garments.

Hussein Chalayans' fashion shows are characterised by minimal sets and a mood of suspense, incorporating elements of contemporary interiors, urban architecture, and geometric structures. In the shows the conceptual and theoretical inspirations behind his garments are played out across the body.