“And what they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it.” Stanley Tucci as Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Fashion is not just a way to adorn yourself. Fashion can be used as a statement, to assert yourself and your values without speaking a word. By extension, those who make the clothes can start a revolution with a single sketch, collection or show.
Rudolph “Rudi” Gernreich (1922-1985), a man who had a lot to say but no voice, knew this well. His work is now immortalized in the eight sections of the “Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich” exhibit, now on show at the Phoenix Art Museum.
The exhibit was first conceived and greenlit in 2016 by curators Dani Killam and Bethany Montagano with Humberto Leon of the fashion brand Opening Ceremony as creative advisor at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California, a center focused on Jewish heritage and culture.
After a three-year effort, the exhibit was first shown to the public at the Skirball Cultural Center in 2019.
“‘Fearless Fashion’ explores the intersection of fashion and social issues during the height of Rudi’s career in the 1960s and 70s, shedding a light on such issues as the Vietnam War and the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA),” Killam said.
A great deal of Gernreich’s work was concerned with the body positivity of women and women’s liberation. Gernreich was responsible for the “no-bra” bra, a bra without wire or structure. This mid-1960s bestseller “freed women from the corsets of the past”, according to an infographic posted with the exhibit.
Gernreich was also responsible for the earliest incarnations of swimsuits as they are known today, even creating the first thong in the 1970s.
In addition to his work to empower women, Gernreich also sought to blur the gender lines. Prioritizing utility and functionality with androgynous twist, he showed his “Unisex” collection in 1970. This collection had male and female models made to look alike and dressed them in the same clothes, questioning the gender norms of the time.
Described by Killam as “ahead of his time,” Gernreich frequently broke the rules. His models were shown barefoot or in sensible shoes, deviating from industry norms, as are 10 of the exhibit’s mannequins. His designs were even denounced by the Pope and prohibited in three countries.
While Gernreich lived a life that faced a great deal of discrimination, from fleeing his home in Vienna, Austria in 1938 in response to the rise of Nazi antisemitism and homophobia all throughout his life in Los Angeles, he used his gifts to fight back against injustice.
This exhibit is not about Gernreich and what kind of man he was. It is about what he gave to society, what he stood for and how his mission survives today.
While an exhibit needs a rich concept and a clear vision to succeed in the art world, it must translate to the casual enthusiasts to be a smash hit.
Jonathan G., a gallery attendant at PhxArt said, “Today’s generation is more comfortable seeing the sexes flip roles.”
“Fearless Fashion” goes the extra step and opens the door to those who love art in passing.
Andrew Allen, a viewer of the exhibit said, “It can be seen how these designs re-emerge over the years, how fashion reinvents itself.”
While there are no current plans for future showings of the exhibition, Killam hopes that the exhibit can continue showings into 2022, 100 years after Gernreich’s birth.
“Fearless Fashion: Rudi Gernreich” and its 80 displays will be shown at the Phoenix Art Museum until September 26, 2021.
Contact the reporter at caball2@asu.edu
