Apple and Vogue’s Costume Institute exhibit has finally arrived, and with it comes the clearest expression of two companies’ combined vision. Titled Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology, the theme for this year’s exhibit — as well as last night’s extravagant Met Gala — celebrates the marriage between human handiwork and machine in fashion and design. But more than that, the exhibit represents a desire to fuse the two brands’ power and influence to make for something greater than what each could accomplish alone.
Evidently, that means building a church to high fashion right inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Beyond the Medieval art and Antonio Canova’s “Perseus with the Head of Medusa,” architectural firm OMA has erected a snow white cathedral of sorts for some of the finest dresses ever designed, whether they were made by hand, laser, or 3D printer. Some of those dresses, like Christian Dior's "Vilmiron" dress, were crafted decades ago. Others made their debut only last year. All of them show some connection to the notion that technology has informed the fashion world for ages.
Photography by Amelia Krales
Comments
When does the movie start shooting?
By quakerotis1 on 05.03.16 10:41am
Man, who butchered Brian Eno’s An Ending like that …
By Onderhond on 05.03.16 10:49am
yeah my thoughts exactly – I was like what, are there two separate tracks playing?
By jsh.bny on 05.03.16 11:46am
What does Apple have to do with this?
By BobS67 on 05.03.16 11:35am
They are fashion company now…..Fashion changes in a week
By Eden-K121D on 05.03.16 12:27pm
They sponsored it
By DevSF4 on 05.03.16 12:53pm
The co-sponsored it with Vogue, who put on the huge Met Gala last night.
By starxd on 05.03.16 1:52pm
OK. Video was excellent and informative. However that track playing underneath, truly unsettling. Like, borderline threatening…..
By TCrimson05t on 05.03.16 12:39pm
Threatening??? Lolz
By DevSF4 on 05.03.16 12:54pm
Apple has always been a company with a fashionable ethos, but I’m not sure how I feel about them getting into the "fashion world" proper. I know they were pushing it with the watch, but these fashion shows with the Apple logo is just so weird to my brain.
By tipoo on 05.03.16 1:02pm
Strongly agree here.
Apple should remain a tech oriented company, and concentrate on tech R&D as a result… not go funding a fashion show. This holds especially true now that we are beginning to see stagnating smartphone, ipad, and PC sales.
I get that they want to solidify their image as a ‘fashionable’ tech company, but going as far as to sponsor a fashion show ‘in their image’ is kind of overkill and seems to put into question what their priorities are.
By Buggy3D on 05.03.16 1:23pm
I don’t get what the problem is. Tech companies do promotional sponsorship deals with all sorts of different companies, to reach different demographics. This is a great way to reach fashion conscious female millennials. Just like their deal with MLB is a great way to reach males. What’s wrong with it?
By starxd on 05.03.16 1:54pm
Agreed. Apple as a brand is ‘fashionable’ in tech terms on its own. Also, Apple is the strongest brand in the world period, not sure why it needs association with vogue to enhance brand perception.
By llort on 05.03.16 5:00pm
Apple has always been closely associated with the fashion world wether intentionally through product placements or because people wanted to associate with their distinctive designs. I lost count of how many TV shows and movies featured iMacs, MacBooks etc. Plus can you imagine the editor of Vogue magazine or the creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi using anything other than a sleek MacBook Air or a shiny new iMac? Apple understands the importance of establishing the Apple Watch as a desirable fashion accessory, because most people who buy watches are driven primarily by style considerations. So to sponsor the Met show makes perfect sense, as they get great press coverage which helps to change people’s perception of what a high tech company creates and represents in people’s minds.
By q_labs on 05.03.16 8:20pm
Apple has been closely associated with the fashion world since around a little after the iPod…
FTFY.
By K-C-B on 05.04.16 2:26am
Björk should wear all of these.
By JoeXG on 05.03.16 2:38pm
It was, quite honestly, the ugliest and most uninspired Met in a while.
By AluKed on 05.03.16 3:37pm
If Samsung would have sponsored some fashion event – which they maybe have, who knows, who cares – there would have been no news or controversy at all. But since it’s Apple they once again get hate for it all over the internet. Unbelievable. What’s wrong with tech companies trying different things anyway? Let them spread their wings – if it’s crap they’ll realise eventually. Give them a break.
By tomkupper on 05.03.16 5:25pm
Wut?
By llort on 05.04.16 12:35am
FYI Kwame, "manus" is latin for hand, not man, which is why "mano a mano" menas hand to hand, not man to man.
By asdeasde96 on 05.03.16 7:04pm