Dress
“It’s something you can personalize and you can also cut it up and sew it back together. I’d love to see what happens to it on a journey through the post. It’s like sending a shadow of yourself.”
—Hussein Chalayan
A fashion designer known equally for sophisticated ideas and consummate skill, Chalayan has earned fame for his “monumental” garments—tangible expressions of the themes underpinning his collections. This limited-edition ensemble relates to the designer’s leitmotif of travel and uses Tyvek (a synthetic, paperlike material) as the utilitarian basis for a conceptual design. The dress, which was sold with sticker kits and instructions that encouraged customization, can be worn on the body or collapsed into an envelope and sent through the mail. By making the consumer an integral part of the design process, Chalayan extends the act of creation, introducing infinite possibilities for transformation.
—Hussein Chalayan
A fashion designer known equally for sophisticated ideas and consummate skill, Chalayan has earned fame for his “monumental” garments—tangible expressions of the themes underpinning his collections. This limited-edition ensemble relates to the designer’s leitmotif of travel and uses Tyvek (a synthetic, paperlike material) as the utilitarian basis for a conceptual design. The dress, which was sold with sticker kits and instructions that encouraged customization, can be worn on the body or collapsed into an envelope and sent through the mail. By making the consumer an integral part of the design process, Chalayan extends the act of creation, introducing infinite possibilities for transformation.
Artwork Details
- Title: Dress
- Designer: Hussein Chalayan (British, born Cyprus, 1970)
- Date: 1999
- Culture: British
- Medium: Tyvek
- Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of The Costume Institute Gifts, 2013
- Object Number: 2013.588a, b
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Hussein Chalayan
spring/summer 2000
Hussein Chalayan
spring/summer 2015
Hussein Chalayan
fall/winter 2014–15
Hussein Chalayan
fall/winter 1995–96
Hussein Chalayan
spring/summer 2000, edition 2005
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.