The Design Museum Holon in Israel is hosting a groundbreaking exhibition that explores the prominent role that machines are playing in the redefinition of haute couture.

In what has been described as an “extravagant representation of fashion”, world renowned designers have come together to create collections that demonstrate the changes in the fashion industry and our culture as a whole. Innovative Japanese designer, Issey Miyake is the creative director, while his fellow designers Dai Fujiwara, Shelley Fox and Marloes ten Bhömer each create their own contribution to display.

Miyake, Fujiwara and creator of the Dyson vacuum cleaner range, James Dyson have collaborated to create a new and innovative fabric they have named A POC (A Piece Of Cloth).  It is constructed by feeding thread into a computer-aided knitting machine that creates a fabric made up of various shapes and patterns. The concept behind this is to highlight the relationship between mass-production and customisation.

Shelley Fox focuses on society’s fixation with body size. Using MRI scans from weight-loss volunteers as blueprints, she has designed a collection of dresses. These are a compilation of vintage garments that have been ripped, stitched and sketched on to represent the markings made on the body by a plastic surgeon before performing surgery.

The whole idea behind the exhibition is to explore and redefine our understanding of how technology and machinery is affecting our society. It also provides the audience with a juxtaposition of concepts as haute couture represents exclusivity and luxury, whilst machinery means mass production and mass availability. However, these conflicting ideas were used by the designers to create different effects, demonstrating the dramatic impact that machines are having on the world of couture.

The exhibition runs from 14th October 2010 until 8^th January 2011. Visit: www.dmh.org.il for more information.

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