10 times fashion has been inspired by product design

Fashion thrives on contamination. Brands and designers breathe in everything that surrounds them and process it in the collections they offer each season: nature, human relationships, society, pop culture, music, art, cinema, architecture... everything can contribute to the right inspiration, even the everyday, including the objects that furnish and embellish the space within the domestic walls. In fact, in recent decades, the relationship between the world of fashion and product design has become increasingly symbiotic, intertwined by mutual contamination that has led to interesting, sometimes iconic creations. There is a common thread that links Tom Ford and designers Charles and Ray Eames, Dries Van Noten and Verner Panton, Nicolas Ghesquière and Piero Fornasetti.

Here are 10 examples where fashion was inspired by product design.

Elsa Schiaparelli - Venus de Milo with drawers by Salvador Dalì

Schiaparelli bureau-drawer suit By Cecil Beaton

Schiaparelli bureau-drawer suit By Cecil Beaton

"Venus de Milo with Drawers" by Salvador Dalì

In 1936, Elsa Schiaparelli was inspired by Salvador Dali's Venus de Milo with Drawers and designed the Drawer Suit, one of her first collaborations with the surrealist artist. He took up the concept of garments reminiscent of a desk in shape and detail in the 1936-1937 Haute Couture Winter Collection, which featured a series of trompe l'oeil-effect dresses and coats in black and navy velvet embellished with pockets resembling drawers with plastic handles and buttons. For the SS22 and FW22 haute couture collections, the brand's new creative director Daniel Roseberry designed a contemporary version of the drawer suit worn on the catwalk by Carolyn Murphy.

Gucci - La Chaise by Vitra

Gucci by Tom Ford FW 1996

Gucci by Tom Ford FW 1996

La Chaise by Vitra, designed by Charles and Ray Eames

When Tom Ford was the creative director of Gucci, he designed garments that are still modern and sought-after today. In particular, in the 1996 collection FW, he presented a sensual cut-out dress with details reminiscent of one of his favourite pieces of furniture: La Chaise by Vitra, designed by Charles and Ray Eames and in turn inspired by the sculpture Floating Figure by Gaston Lachaise. A perfect example of how different arts infect each other.

Hussein Chalayan - Wearable objects

Hussein Chalayan FW 2000

Hussein Chalayan FW 2000

Hussein Chalayan FW 2000

The theory of space, place, body measurements and materials has always been the basis for Hussein Chalayan's creations. But with After Words, the FW 2000 collection, he has outdone himself. The British-Cypriot designer drew on his childhood memories and the experiences of refugees from the Kosovo war who were forced to flee abruptly, taking their belongings with them, to bring to the catwalk an iconic moment that resembled a living room, complete with chairs, table, TV, vases and pots. In this "homey" setting, the models in grey briefs pulled the covers off the chairs and wore them like a dress, folding the chairs into suitcases. At the end, the last model walked to the centre of a coffee table, lifted it up and carried it so that it became a metal skirt.

Christian Dior - Memphis Group

Christian Dior FW 2011 haute couture

Christian Dior FW 2011 haute couture

Christian Dior FW 2011 haute couture

Christian Dior FW 2011 haute couture

Oceanic table lamp by Michele de Lucchi for Memphis Milano

Cabbage teapot by Aldo Cibic for Memphis Milano

Colorado teapot by Marco Zanini for Memphis Milano

Bill Gaytten's venture into Christian Dior is hardly memorable, but for the FW2011 haute couture collection, the creative director said he drew inspiration from Frank Gehry, Jean-Michel Frank and, most importantly, the Memphis Group, founded by Ettore Sottsass in the 1970s. Starting with the opening outfit (a jacket with a ruffled collar and a wide pleated skirt), the super-poppy, colourful and kitschy elements of playful prints, rich colours and postmodern design, thanks to which the architects and designers of the group became famous in Italy and abroad, can be found in the creations presented on the catwalk.

Viktor&Rolf - Homewear

Viktor & Rolf FW 2005

Viktor & Rolf FW 2005

Viktor & Rolf FW 2005

Comfy Sofa by Seletti

Lily Cole with her red hair spread over a spotless cotton pillow with lace trim and a sheet tucked into the collar of her coat is the signature image of Viktor&Rolf's 2005 fashion show FW. In this collection, the creative duo had brought a reinterpretation of homewear to the catwalk with a series of looks that included quilts, quilts, blankets and pillows. According to some, Viktor&Rolf's garments are reminiscent of Seletti's Comfy Sofa By Marcantonio from 2017.

Martin Margiela - interior design

Duvet Coat by Maison Margiela

Maison Margiela FW 2006

Maison Margiela FW 2006

Maison Margiela FW 2006

Maison Martin Margiela has always had a close relationship with the design world. One of the brand's most interesting forays was certainly its 2006 autumn-winter women's collection, in which it transformed cretonne sofa covers, 1970s leather armchairs, carpet pieces, curtains and car seats (complete with seatbelts) into jackets, trousers, skirts, high-heeled sandals and belts. Also worth mentioning is the iconic Duvet Coat, introduced with the FW 1999 collection, a kind of duvet with sleeves that looks like an homage to Gaetano Pesce's 1987 Feltri Lounge Chair, made by Cassina.

Louis Vuitton - Piero Fornasetti

Louis Vuitton FW21

Louis Vuitton FW21

Louis Vuitton FW21

Louis Vuitton FW21

Nicolas Ghesquière celebrated the art of Piero Fornasetti in the FW21 collection, drawing inspiration from the designer's creations for prints on clothes and bags. This also led to a full-fledged collaboration, LV x Fornasetti, exploring an archive of more than 13,000 pieces to create a series of objects that bring together two creative universes, including clothing, accessories and wardrobes and consoles.

Dries Van Noten - Verner Panton

Dries Van Noten SS19

Dries Van Noten SS19

Dries Van Noten SS19

Verner Panton Mira-X Fabric Panel

Verner Panton Mira-X Fabric Panel

Verner Panton "Phantasy Landscape"

Verner Panton is one of the designers who have had the greatest influence on fashion. He has influenced Prada and Isabel Marant, for example, who designed his Pandel shoe based on the silhouette of the Cono chair for Vitra, but it was Dries Van Noten who dedicated an entire collection to him, the SS19 menswear, with a riot of prints, colours and silhouettes that pay homage to the designer's art and his style of saturated colours and shapes of the 1970s.

Max Mara - Patricia Urquiola

"Habito" Weekend Signature Collection by Max Mara & Patricia Urquiola

"Habito" Weekend Signature Collection by Max Mara & Patricia Urquiola

"Habito" Weekend Signature Collection by Max Mara & Patricia Urquiola

"Habito" Weekend Signature Collection by Max Mara & Patricia Urquiola

Max Mara not only drew inspiration from the work of Patricia Urquiola, but also collaborated with architect and designer Habito to create the Weekend Signature Collection for the FW22 season, resulting in a mix of contrasting, playful and eye-catching colour and graphic combinations that encompassed both garments and accessories. A beautiful example of architecture-à-porter.

Bottega Veneta - Gaetano Pesce

"Vieni a Vedere" Bottega Veneta & Gaetano Pesce

"Vieni a Vedere" Bottega Veneta & Gaetano Pesce

Bottega Veneta’ set SS23 by Gaetano Pesce

Bottega Veneta’ set SS23 by Gaetano Pesce

Gaetano Pesce had already designed the set for Bottega Veneta's SS23 fashion show, but now, on the occasion of Milan Design Week, the collaboration between the two has resulted in Vieni a Vedere, a site-specific immersive installation framing two new limited edition bags made by four hands together with Matthieu Blazy, My Dear Mountains and My Dear Prairies.