One of Chalayan's iconic designs

Winning the honorary “British Designer of the Year” title not once – but twice, Hussein Chalayan’s work is considered an exceptional example of contemporary fashion design. The recent opening of his solo exhibition “From fashion and back” at London’s Design Museum promises nothing but applause for the ingeniousness of a great mind.

Artistic to the core, “From fashion and back” is an extraordinary showcase featuring the fifteen years of Chalayan’s career in the UK. It’s instantly apparent that Chalayan’s designs are so much more than styles on the catwalk; just as described, his ideas are “drawn from disciplines not readily associated with fashion, crossing between anthropology, history, science, philosophy and technology”.

The exhibition is a truly spellbinding experience. To explore and understand the cultural influences on each and every one of the pieces on display play a major role to fully appreciating the beauty of Chalayan’s awe-inspiring creativity. What lies at the heart of everything Chalayan has created is the deep thought provoking ability his designs evoke from spectators; needless to say, “From fashion and back” is not for the typical fashion admirer.

It’s blindingly obvious that Chalayan strives for eccentricity. The exhibits are arranged into a labyrinth of one striking collection after the other, and just when you think you’ve spotted something pink, feminine, and shall we say “ordinary”, something proves us wrong.

Welcoming visitors to Chalayan’s legacy of creation is his Spring/Summer 2009 collection, “Inertia”. First showcased at Paris Fashion Week in late 2008, he gathered inspiration from “The pace of digital communication, travel and commerce” to design a set piece guaranteed to blow minds.

Another particularly interesting stop off is exhibit D, better known as “Panoramic”, Chalayan’s Autumn/Winter 1998 collection. At first glance, the designs are unsurprisingly yet powerfully stare-worthy; inspired by words from the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, Chalayan set out to create a statement making collection which was “indefinable through language”. Much to relief it was intended to make the onlooker speechless – words could not describe the strange hybrids.

Other fascinating works exhibited include short films directed by Chalayan, “Readings” (dresses with Swarovski crystals and more than 200 lasers apiece), and the “Airmail Dress”.

For anyone and everyone who considers themselves a true artist or fashion fanatic, “From fashion and back” simply cannot be missed.

Until May 17th at the Design Museum

28, Shad Thames,

London, SE1 2 YD

http://www.designmuseum.org/