Who needs Richard Prince and Murakami when you have fashion designers moonlighting as artists? The art and fashion worlds continue their love-hate affair with edgy designers of the old and young, in the vein of Hussein Chalayan and Henrik Vibskov, respectively. Both designers are presenting shows to jumpstart the new year. London-based Chalayan will be showing in his hometown at the Design Museum from January 21st to May 17th of this year, which will also function as a retrospective of the designer’s work for the past 15 years. Featured are pieces from his crowd-astounding Autumn/Winter 2007 show, where Chalayan fused fashion with technology, including retractable skirts, half-dome lighted hats and a literal showstopper of a dress encrusted with Swarovski crystals and 15,000 flickering LED lights.

Next to Chalayan theatrical antics, Danish designer, Henrik Vibskov’s upcoming show at the MU Eindhoven in the Netherlands seems almost demure. From Friday January 9th to February 15th, Vibskov’s installation titled “The Visit” will take visitors into three surreal worlds completely of Vibskov’s zany imagination. Each world will attempt to recreate his conceptual fashion shows that he hosts in Paris each year. If it wasn’t for his art world cred- he’s already shown at P.S.1 in NYC and Palais de Tokyo in Paris–you’d think it was a promo spot, but stop by for a peek if not for the art then for insight into the young designer’s creative life and inspiration.

If you’re one of the lucky ones to be headed East, minus the Olympics crowds at that, you still have time to check out the Dior exhibit featuring Chinese Artists at the Ullens Contemporary Art Center in Beijing. With Chinese art heavyweights Zhang Huan and Wang Gongxin on the roster, it’s a must see if you’re in the area. While you’re on that side of the globe, head south to Shanghai to check out the latest goings ons in the French Concession, where Richemont has been going art and fashion crazy with luxury concept stores aplenty. It seems not everybody is feeling the recession.

Hussein Chalayan at the Design Museum

January 21st- May 17, 2009

Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD 020 7403 6933

General Information info@designmuseum.org

020 7403 6933

Hussein Chalayan, A/W 2007

Hussein Chalayan A/W 2007 show

Hussein Chalayan A/W 2007

Henrik Vibskov at MU Eindhoven

“The Visit”

January 9th – February 15th, 2009

MU
Emmasingel 20
5611 AZ Eindhoven
Netherlands
T + 31 (0)40- 2961663
mu@mu.nl
www.mu.nl

Dior artist showcase in China

UCCA
Big Hall
798 Art District, No.4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, P.O. Box 8503, Chaoyang District,
100015 Beijing
China T : +86 (0) 10 8459 9269
F : +86 (0) 10 8459 9717
ucca.org.cn