THE CUTTING EDGE

An exploration of how technology has taken fashion to new frontiers.

The highest form of fashion, haute couture is generally associated with exquisite handcraft, while massproduced items are typically linked to mechanical production. But is this always so? This assumption is challenged by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute spring exhibition, “Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”. ( The Latin words “manus” and “machina” mean “hand” and “machine”, respectively.)

Consider the dramatic wedding ensemble on this page, a design from Chanel’s Autumn/ Winter 2014/15 haute couture collection. While the pattern on its 6m-long train was hand-painted and hand-embroidered with pearls and gemstones, this Karl Lagerfeld creation also entailed several modern technologies. Its Baroque-style print was sketched by hand, then digitally manipulated to create a pixelated effect. The dress itself is made from scuba knit, a synthetic material typically made from polyester and elastane.

Aside from some 170 exhibits including haute couture, ready-towear and some truly far-out pieces (see sidebar), Manus X Machina also explores garment-making techniques, both old and new. Classic haute-couture techniques like artificial flower-crafting and featherwork are highlighted alongside modern technologies such as 3-D printing, laser-cutting and computer-modelling. It’s enough to make sartorial Luddites rethink their rage against the machine. “Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” runs till Aug 14 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.