Wearable Art: Bashaques, Başak Cankeş and Fashion
As we spend a little more time at home these days, our fashion tour continues. We would like to share with you the designers who have caught our eye.
The first of these is Başak Cankeş. Her designs and originality in particular left us full of admiration.
Last month, on 19 February, wearable art pioneer Cankeş made an appearance in Milan with her wearable art designs. With her strikingly diverse creations, she won over art lovers and audiences alike.
Bashaques Instagram account: @bashaques
In the collection she named “Traditional in the Golden Age”, BASHAQUES founder Cankeş used Afghan and Uzbek crafts. She combined them with modern silk and tulle reminiscent of Cinderella, blending fabrics produced by the capitalist system with natural textures and embroidery.
The designer stresses that her designs are connected to the lands from which their Afghan and Uzbek roots come. She also draws inspiration from the idea of an Afghan woman’s migration to Europe.
With her first collection, the designer won the Mediterranean Fashion Award. This collection symbolises the interface in the relationship between people and art. She had also made a name for herself with her first collection, “An”.
Known for her multidisciplinary fashion shows, the designer has presented striking collections with her label Bashaques. She later appeared before art lovers with a performance show she called ‘The Truth’.
Video & Photography @emre_durmaz
What is wearable art?
Wearable art refers to handmade or very limited-edition clothing and jewellery, in other words wearable works of art. The aim is for these pieces to be recognised as a form of artistic expression. In short, they are works of art in the form of clothing or jewellery. For designers working in this field, the idea, the story and the craftsmanship come first; the everyday practicality of the piece takes a back seat. For more on the concept, you can also see the wearable art entry on Wikipedia.
The collections of Cankeş are a fine example of this approach. The designs bring Afghan and Uzbek crafts together with modern silk and tulle, carrying themes such as migration and identity onto fabric. What’s more, in these designs paired with performance shows, the runway becomes an exhibition space. Meanwhile, for the label’s launch ahead of Milan Fashion Week, read our Bashaques launch story.
Collections like these are often released in limited numbers. That is why collectors and art galleries take an interest too. A garment thus gains value as both a wearable piece and an exhibitable work at the same time. This shows that the line between fashion and art is becoming a little more blurred with every passing day.