Whoever said you shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day never met today’s crop of fearless young fashion designers.
A recent contest invited emerging designers from around the world to show what they could create using an all-white palette — and the results are mind-boggling.
From bags to shoes to jewelry, corsets, dresses, BDSM accessories and even mittens, the entrants in the White Swan competition showed astonishing creativity. As you might expect, there’s a fair bit of bridal-oriented pieces, but that’s just the start. The diversity of concepts and use of unusual fabrics (like a tutu made from bridal gown scraps, or a gown made from a parachute) is breathtaking and should give you a fair glimpse into the future of fashion around the world.
The White Swan competition drew more than 250 submissions, and 25 winners were chosen by online voting (which, sadly, produced weak numbers). There was also a set of jury prizes, and those chosen will get a public showing next weekend at the annual Les Coulisses du Mariage bridal show in Paris.
White Swan — which was a sort of rebuttal to last year’s Black Swan-themed fashions — was conceived by Carnet de Monde, which showcases young couture designers, in parternship with Le Figaro.
Below we offer a few of our favorites from the contest, but there’s plenty more to look at on the competition’s website:
Delphine by
Cliff Lee, France
Hand-pleated dress long in front, short in back.
Breathing Coral Polyp by
Malgorzata Dudek, Poland
Layers of silk chiffon structured with spiral metal boning.
Inspired by the Great Barrier Reef.
Dancing Swan by
Michael van der Meide, Netherlands
Unique dress made from 1951 American parachute cloth.
Bouquet d’Organza by
Princesse Prune, France
From the AW 2011-12 jewelry couture collection,
Auto-Portrait.
Tulip skirt by
Tristan + Trista, USA
Distressed chiffon layers arranged to mimic the petals of a tulip.
Two Halves of One by
Marie Dean, Italy
Macrame weavings in cotton, silk, linen and straw.
Love and Peace by
Lily Griffiths, France
Lace headbands with rose and crystal adornment.
Gone With The Wind by
Larisa Katz, Netherlands
From the art couture label’s summer 2012 collection.
Necklace by
Naomi McIntosh, UK
Slinky-like flexible necklace in polished acrylic.
Camilla Mikama, Finland
Viscose/elastane dress with puzzle-piece cutouts.
Ice Queen by
Claire Garvey, Ireland
Hand-beaded gown with feathered headpiece.
Caged Spine by
Anna Osterlund, Sweden
3-piece white denim suit held together with shoelaces.
Angel by
Dora Kelemen, France
Giant knitted cover-up from the Hungarian conceptual artist/designer.
Tutu by
Ek Bacharack, South Africa
Handmade from discarded bridal tulle scraps, attached to a corset base.
Inspired by nightmares following viewing of
Black Swan
Lace mask by Ek Bacharack, South Africa
See above, from the SS 2012 collection Hypnagogic.
Madeleine handcuffs by
Fraulein Kink, Germany
White fur cuffs with gunmetal chain and closures and ribbon bow.
Black Swan by
Edyta Jermacz, Poland
Dress made from raw silk pieces stitched to transparent body..
Ashita by
Joanna Hawrot, Poland
White muslin dress inspired by Japanese fashion.
Shirt in Pieces by Iris Loeffler, Germany
Deconstructed shirt dress inspired by menswear.
Draped dress by
Heureka, UK
Draped jersey with three-dimensional structure.
Dila corset by
Khatuna Tskhakaia, France
From the Parisian stylist’s collection
Georgie.
Man’s shirt dress by
Lena Ivanova, Ukraine
Designed like a man’s shirt worn backwards, with print frills like a swan’s tail.
Ur by
Dorit Loffler, Germany
Silk and merino wool mittens and hat inspired by early farm workers.
Amazing expose, Richard! Have posted it everywhere