Academy of Couture Art Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design students Sarah KIM (Stylist/Fashion Designer) and Brenda RAMIREZ (Fashion Designer) have a behind the scenes look at the creativity and complexity of Costume Designer Philippe GUILLOTEL of Cirque Du Soleil.
In June the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Costume Council hosted a truly inspiring lecture: The Costumes of IRIS from Cirque Du Soleil: Characters by Design with Costume Designer Philippe GUILLOTEL. The Council reached out to two emerging artists of couture design mind and technique to intern for the event. Two Academy of Couture Art students were selected to be inspired by the creativity and innovation that mark the magic of the Cirque Du Soleil experience.
Costume Designer Philippe GUILLOTEL presented from sketch to fruition characters from two important Cirque Du Soleil performances: Love and IRIS. What is so inspiring about Philippe’s creative process is the juxtaposition of clothing with technological function. His designs evoke the grand and open the mind to new possibilities. The results present another world.
“His work is remarkable. What is fascinating about his costumes is the fusion of the costume with the tool that serves the role of the actor wearing it. He blends the avant-garde with retro; late 19th century technology with a flair of a decadent futuristic world. This gives us a revolutionary futuristic vision of what could become the fashion of tomorrow with technological outfits serving the precise function of the individual client,” audience member, Thierry ÉTÉ, Academy of Couture Art.
Philippe touched on the similarities in his creative process highlighting stories of couturiers touched by his work and his atelier. John Paul GAULTIER commented on Philippe’s workshop as the ultimate couture house. In fact, as Philippe illuminates, his creative and construction process is very much in character with the couturiers’.
This July the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood premieres IRIS: A Journey Through the World of Cinema™. Costume, much like couture, pushes forward fashion and art. Come and experience a new world of cinema and design.
