5 documentaries that will change the way you look at fashion
1. DIOR AND I (2014)
"Dior And I" chronicles the journey of Raf Simons, who's mostly known for his menswear design and minimalist design during his tenant at Jil Sander, as he prepares his Haute Couture debut at Dior in just eight weeks, a process that usually takes up to six months.
The extremely intense eight weeks turned out to be a beautiful story where the director Frédéric Tcheng focused on the bond between Raf and the house's legacy, casting spotlight to the seamstresses at Dior Atelier who pour their passion and effort to realize all the dresses of the collection.
2. NOTEBOOK ON CITIES AND CLOTHES (1989)
Together with Yohji Yamamoto, the Japanese fashion maestro who stirred Paris fashion scene in the early 1980s with his oriental avant-garde design, we travel between Paris and Tokyo, exploring the cities and people, inspiration and aesthetic through young Yohji's eyes.
Throughout a year of filming, the German director Wim Wenders and Yohji discover the parallel vision between fashion design and filmmaking. The two young artists talk about identity, cinema, culture, digital era, making this doc a timeless 'diary'.
3. DRIES (2017)
For the first time ever, Dries Van Noten agreed to bring filmed for a documentary. Throughout the duration of a year, director Reiner Holzmer followed Dries through his process to create four collections, which was also the only term from the designer himself.
Shuttling between his home and studio in Antwerp and runway in Paris, the film showcases a 24/7 creative life of Dries – from him picking flowers in his garden and having a relaxed moment with his partner Patrick Vangheluwe to him juggling with the fabrics and ornaments.
4. THE ARTIST IS ABSENT (2015)
This is a short film about the notoriously obscure designer Martin Margiela, in which the designer himself is absent throughout the entire film. Featuring archive footage of early Margiela shows, interviews with Jean Paul Gaultier, the designer's former mentor and Raf Simons, a fan and a friend of Margiela, we are given a glimpse of the mysterious legendary figure.
The film also includes the iconic Margiela show in 1989, which took place at a playground in the suburb of Paris, where local kids were invited to play around with the models on the runway; a moment that struck everyone who was present to the core and brought a whole new vision and direction to the industry.
5. MCQUEEN (2018)
Produced by Bleecker Street using a collection of private footages that Alexander McQueen himself accumulated over the years (since his early debut days), the documentary film McQueen gives us "a personal look at the extraordinary life, career and artistry of Alexander McQueen".
A heartbreaking documentation of the legendary genius, McQueen also features exclusive interviews with the friends and family of the designer, archived footages of his most iconic shows and an inside take into the creative mind of McQueen.
Chaotic, savage, yet artistically beautiful (much like his work), McQueen the film is a must for all fashion enthusiasts and fans.
