Spacescapes

The first time I laid my eyes on an item of clothing with a celestial print I gazed with an unremitting fixation. It was a dress, the skirt almost horizontal – seemingly exploding from the model’s midriff. The top half was covered in multitudinous sequin diamonds to compliment the print of galaxy stars. The tailoring was enough to blow me away, sure, but what left me gaping was that a photograph of space seemed to have been literally printed onto the dress. I’ve seen interesting prints, but this transcends the definition of ‘interesting’. Although printing photographs onto clothes is a recent reoccurring venture for designers and companies alike, pictures of space take this initiative to an entirely different level. It is extraordinary and radical for a photographic print – they are almost lurid with colour.

The pictures are derived from an orbital instrument called the Hubble Telescope. It captures a series of alluring colour pictures of galaxies, planets, and nebulae deep within space. They are disparate yet blend in a concise manner, almost unsettling and of such an ethereal quality that space seems to be a finished painting. I was being affected by a piece of art rather than a scientific photograph.
 

Christopher Kane Resort 2011
Kane’s signature is placing photographs onto his clothes; these cosmic images had less of a photographic quality, and more of an abstracted explosion of colour.

Risto Bimbiloski S/S 09 (left)
A sophisticated one-piece wears its idiosyncrasies literally on its sleeve.

Ruffian Fall 2010 (right)
More inspired by the abstracted shades of constellations than the actual space print itself, the influence is still evident.

Peter Pilotto x Kipling (left)
According to Pilotto himself, this collaboration was inspired by an imagined intergalactic traveller on the quest to discover and explore faraway lands.

Tsumori Chisato tights (right)
A playful take on space prints, Chisato’s tights evoke a childish nostalgia with cartoon spaceships peppered among the stars.

Risto Nebula Sweater
The leggings and sweater work jointly to create this explosion of nebulae consuming the model’s entire body. This is what I call a Galactic Tux.

- Rose Flutur