Viktor & Rolf say goodbye to ready to wear.

Similarly to Jean Paul Gaultier, the duo affirmed that the current pace of the fashion world and its high demands put a limit  on their creativity.

“We feel a strong need to refocus on our artistic roots,” they said in the statement. “We have always used fashion to communicate, it is our primary means of artistic expression. Ready-to-wear (with its fast pace, many deadlines and fierce competition) started to feel creatively restricting. By letting go of it, we gain more time and freedom.” This statement seems to be in synch with Jean Paul Gaultier’s reasons for making a similar decision, based on the fact that “Commercial constraints, as well as the frenetic pace of collections, don’t leave any freedom, nor the necessary time to find fresh ideas and to innovate.”

Rolf Snoeren and Viktor Horsting made their couture debut in 1998 before exploring the ready-to-wear horizons, 2 years later.

In the past, whenever fashion houses closed their haute couture ateliers to focus on ready-to-wear, i.e. Balmain in 2002, Yves Saint Laurent in 2002, Christian Lacroix in 2009 and Givenchy in 2013, the notion that haute couture could one day be an archaic form of art crept in. Such idea is however challenged by the addition of fashion giants such as Versace, Armani and Schiaparelli who were among the latest to enter the haute couture sphere.

With their latest couture show, Viktor & Rolf took us to an enchanted and wearable garden. Here are some shots from Viktor & Rolf’s archives:

image courtesy of: google images, viktor & rolf archives