Legos may not seem an obvious medium to tickle a fashion designer’s fancy, but to king of Parisian camp Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, the minute toy wonders are nothing short of fascinating. In fact, Legos speak so directly to his outrageous sense of fun and irony, that he has presented a complete virtual, 3D runway show in their honor. Previewed on TV during S/S 09 Paris Fashion Week, JC/DC’s site has now officially unveiled the weirdly captivating short video of the show, a spectacle replete with Lego models, Lego set, even – gasp – a mini Lego Anna Wintour.
Believe it or not, this is not the fashion community’s first venture into the conceptual realm of “plastic architecture”, as JC/DC calls it. A few seasons ago, everyone from Marc Jacobs to Joy Han to JC/DC himself lent “color blocking” a bold, juvenile context by creating quirky hats, barrettes, and other accessories from Legos.
Trendwise, this literal colorblocking never really took off, nor have most of JC/DC’s ideas. Not that it matters: everyone knows his wearable pop art is more about kitsch value than its medium’s retail prospects. A fashionably unadventurous public has never been a market, or an obstacle for JC/DC’s designer profile – invariably, a kooky celebrity or Agyness will don one of his items and get people talking. Naturally, his Obama dress (recently worn by Katy Perry at the EMAs) entrenched him firmly back in the fashion headlines.
Now, his Lego cyber catwalk extravaganza – for the season of Spring 3001, in case you wondered – is simultaneously enticing the charms of fashion folk and gadget geeks alike. Even Balenciaga‘s colorless, smart textile dresses cannot boast that claim: they spin exquisite sci-fi fantasy, but Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s creations capture the universality of youthful pop culture nostalgia.
Like Legos themselves, they are simple, playful, and colorful delights.
Watch the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Lego runway show:
JCDC Versus LEGO from Four H on Vimeo.
below:What do you think of its concept: fabulous or ridiculous?
