Viktor & Rolf’s Spring 2019 Couture collection was inspired by memes

Say it with a slogan dress

Sarah Young
Thursday 24 January 2019 13:55 GMT
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A model walks the runway during the Viktor & Rolf Spring Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on 23 January
A model walks the runway during the Viktor & Rolf Spring Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on 23 January

The fashion world’s idea of couture could finally be changing.

Haute couture week offers renowned fashion houses the chance to present their most expensive and elaborate designs to a handpicked audience of industry insiders.

But, while most people will never be able to buy or wear a piece of couture, Viktor & Rolf’s latest collection is offering fashion fans a more relatable aesthetic.

At Paris Haute Couture Week, designer duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren presented a rainbow parade of avant-garde dresses inspired by the internet’s best memes.

Featuring voluminous layers of ruffles and tulle, the period-style gowns were expertly juxtaposed with different one-liners, ranging from the uplifting to the anti-social.

The collection includes statements ripe for sharing on social media when you just want to be left alone, such as, “Sorry I’m late I didn’t want to come”, “No photos please”, “Go to hell”, and “Go f*** yourself”.

But, the memes don’t end there. There were also plenty of short and snappy entries that simply read, “Whatever” and “No”, while other dresses came emblazoned with withering put downs like “I’m not shy I just don’t like you” and “Trust me I am a liar”.

The memes weren’t all negative though. Viktor & Rolf also used their slogan-heavy theme to convey more positive messages with a dress bearing “I want a better world“ alongside a smiling sun, another that read, “Freedom” and a third which carried the famed Frida Kahlo quote, “I am my own muse”.

During a preview of the collection, Snoeren explained that the aim was to create a “strange contradiction”.

“It’s the kind of message you find on social media, with the same instant feeling,” he told WWD.

“All these statements that are so obvious or easy — there’s a lot of banality on Instagram and social media in general — are counterbalanced with this over-the-top, shimmery, romantic feeling.”

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