Fashion

Not every outfit starts with fabric. Sometimes it starts with paint, texture or movement. Sometimes it starts on a canvas – and ends on your body. That’s the space wearable art lives in. And while the concept might feel fresh, it has a rich history filled with visionaries who weren’t content to separate fashion from fine art. 

You’re not the first to wear a piece that feels more like a painting than a pattern. You’re walking in the footsteps of artists who made clothing their medium, their manifesto, their brushstroke. 

Ready to explore expressive wearable art that continues that legacy? Just click here to see how it lives on today. 

What Counts as “Wearable Art”? 

Before diving into the legends, let’s ground it. Wearable art isn’t just fashion with a bold print. It’s art that was never meant to stay behind glass. These pieces are often hand-assembled, painted or constructed with the intention that they be worn and seen – equal parts garment and gallery. 

Some blur boundaries with brushstrokes on silk. Others use unconventional materials like metal, wood or plastic. Many of them reject trend completely and instead tap into storytelling, symbolism or abstraction. 

Sound familiar? 

Let’s look at the artists who made this space possible – and who continue to inspire abstract, expressive dressing today. 

Sonia Delaunay: The Original Painter of Movement 

If you’re drawn to bold color blocking, rhythm in design and brushstrokes that seem to move with you, Delaunay is a name you should know. 

Sonia Delaunay wasn’t just a painter – she was a textile innovator, costume designer and one of the first artists to treat clothing as a form of visual poetry. Working in Paris in the early 1900s, she co-founded the Orphism movement, which focused on color harmony and abstract expression. 

What made her wearable art iconic? She created: 

• Painted dresses that mimicked the dynamism of her canvases 

• Hand-embroidered coats with rhythmic geometry 

• Swimwear and accessories that made color kinetic 

She saw fashion as a way to bring art into everyday life. Not as merch. As method. Walking through a city became an extension of the painting itself. 

If you’ve ever worn a swirling print and felt like the movement wasn’t just on you but from you – you’ve felt her influence. 

Elsa Schiaparelli: The Surrealist Who Styled Emotion 

Long before wearable art became a category, Elsa Schiaparelli was shocking Paris with garments that looked like dreams – or sometimes nightmares. Inspired by her friendships with artists like Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau, her work blurred the lines between surrealist painting and avant-garde fashion. 

She didn’t just add art onto fashion – she sculpted her garments as art. A few of her now-legendary contributions: 

• A shoe-shaped hat 

• A lobster-print dress designed in collaboration with Dalí 

• Jackets with embroidered faces and hands 

Her work challenged the idea that clothing should be subtle or practical. Instead, she asked: why shouldn’t your outfit provoke? Confuse? Spark? 

Her influence lives on in every expressive garment that feels just a little “too much” – and embraces it. 

Yayoi Kusama: Pattern as Obsession, Fashion as Infinity 

You know her for the dots. But Kusama’s work is about much more than polka dots. It’s about repetition, space and the emotional power of obsessive pattern. 

Over the years, her signature motifs have been translated into clothing, often by the artist herself – sometimes in collaboration with design houses, but always rooted in the idea that wearing art makes it part of your psyche. 

What sets her apart? 

• She uses print not as decoration but as experience 

• Her pieces feel immersive – like stepping into a painting 

• The same pattern repeated on dress, bag, shoes, even skin 

It’s not subtle. But it’s undeniably expressive. If you’ve ever layered the same palette or motif head to toe and felt oddly grounded instead of loud, you’re speaking Kusama’s language. 

Issey Miyake: Sculpting Fabric Like a Medium 

Issey Miyake didn’t paint on clothing – he reshaped the definition of what clothing was. Through his use of pleating, geometry and tech-informed process, he turned garments into living structures. And while his work often leaned minimalist in color, it was maximalist in form and philosophy. 

His pleated pieces were designed to move with the body. But they also stood on their own – like paper sculptures origami forms, soft armor. He didn’t just use fabric as a base. He used it like a brush. Like a chisel. 

Why his work still matters in the world of abstract prints, inspiring contemporary styles showcased on trend2wear.

• His pieces highlight form first – which lets expressive print sit on something architectural 

• He pioneered techniques that keep structure while allowing flow 

• His designs always felt human, despite their technicality 

If you’ve ever styled a structured kimono over a flowing abstract-print scarf and felt perfectly balanced – thank Miyake. 

Nick Cave: Where Fashion, Sculpture and Sound Collide 

Not the musician. The artist. Nick Cave is known for his Soundsuits – full-body wearable sculptures made from found objects, synthetic hair, beads, buttons and more. They’re not everyday fashion. But they are a statement about identity, voice and visibility. 

Cave’s Soundsuits often cover the body entirely, rendering the wearer anonymous – but hyper-visible. When worn, they move. They rattle. They hum. They demand to be experienced. 

While most of us won’t be walking around in a full Soundsuit, the lesson is clear: garments don’t just express style. They express presence. They say: I’m here. You can’t look away. 

And even in a more pared-back context, that’s what expressive fashion can do. 

Lee Krasner: Abstract Expressionism as Wearable Energy 

Often overshadowed by her husband Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner was a powerhouse of abstract expressionism in her own right – and her work translates surprisingly well into wearable forms. Her large-scale brushwork, energetic colour fields and layered compositions are echoed in many modern art-fashion hybrids. 

Her legacy isn’t tied to wearable design directly. But her impact is clear every time a scarf ripples like a brushstroke in the wind or a wrap dress carries a layered, intuitive energy across fabric. 

If you’re drawn to art that doesn’t explain itself, only expresses, Krasner’s spirit might already be in your wardrobe. 

What These Legends Teach You About Style 

You don’t have to paint, sew or sculpt to be part of this legacy. When you wear expressive fashion, you become part of a lineage – one that treats the body as a moving canvas. One that says personal style isn’t just taste. It’s language. 

So, go ahead – wear that layered scarf like a brushstroke. Clip that brooch off-centre. Let your dress ripple like a Delaunay composition. Let your movement complete the artwork. 

You’re doing more than just wearing a look. You’re continuing a conversation that started long before you – and will move with you into wherever style goes next.