Former creative director for Dockers and Levi Strauss Europe bows his own line and it deliciously trashy
By Robin Rowe
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 10/14/07 — London-based “multimedia” designer Gary Harvey showed his striking line of eco-couture dresses at Fashion Week LA on Saturday. Each dress is unique and hand made. Harvey’s concept is to “re-contextualize” clothing for haute couture. “I take something iconic like jeans, which have a certain context, and take that out of the everyday to make it into a ball gown”, says Harvey. “Newspapers I make into a dress that moves like a jellyfish or an anemone.” Harvey had worked as a design director or creative director for Top Shop, Top Man, French Connection, Dockers and Levis before bowing his first collection during London Fashion Week to rave reviews.
Harvey’s pieces are recycled materials. Jeans made into an elegant dress. Sweatshirts, with arms flowing like tentacles, form a skirt. A clingy strapless gown made of camouflage fabric. “Clean or Die” and other slogan t-shirts as an organic hemp dress. A dress made of trenchcoats, in shades of tan and taupe, sewn together to create a flounce with good motion. A gown made of plastic bags suggests Marie Antoinette, not Courtney Love. Many of Harvey’s designs feature flattering corset tops, often with a sexy laced bare gap all the way down the back…and on the bottom large romantic flowing skirts.
A pink sixties-style baby doll, very fitted at the bust, in three shades of pink, suggested the fembots of Austin Powers and made the model look eight feet tall. Our favorite bridal gown in the collection has a white corset top, and the bottom made from recycled wedding dresses.
Harvey was coy about what’s coming next, but says to expect more from him based on re-contextualization, to create dramatic new silhouettes giving new fashion meanings to disposable items. “II have the basic pieces for the next collection”, says Harvey. “The icons of the next season are there.” In other words, Harvey’s already decided what iconic clothing he’s going to redefine into haute couture for next season. Asked what challenges remain for him, Harvey said, “I’d like to do something using food…just because it’s so hard.” If he does, Harvey will be creating fashions delicious to more than the eyes.
The driving passion behind his signature designs is the re-contextualization of iconic, everyday garments is this true creator design visionary who has managed to predicts fickle tastes to fuel future trends in product design, communication and youth culture.
www.garyharveycreative.com
