Fashion and Art 101

The names that go down in history as the biggest patrons of art and artists in the 21st century may not be those of individuals or families—it’s likely they’ll be those of fashion brands

- Theresa Harold

Stroll through the galleries of the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the British Museum and you’ll find plenty of masterpieces that weren’t created as art for art’s sake. They were custom orders from royalty, the Catholic church or even successful merchants—like the Medici family, who’ve become shorthand for art patronage.

Today, our concept of an artist is usually someone working independently. But with more and more brands keen to benefit from the halo effect of collaborating with artists, fashion houses are becoming major art patrons. The recent Art Basel Miami Beach hosted so many brands it could have passed for an unofficial fashion week. Among them: Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Versace, Miu Miu, Chloé and Gucci.

But why so cosy, and why now?

With traditional marketing methods in decline, companies are looking for new ways to cut through the noise and build their image. By working with artists, brands gain a certain intellectual and creative cachet, while artists reap financial and often logistical support, not to mention increasing the value of their work.

It’s also personal. For fashion industry titans such as Bernard Arnault and François Pinault, art collecting is a passion—and a way of leaving a legacy. For designers, the visual appeal of art is clear. A quick look at the inspirations of Gucci’s Alessandro Michele or Dior’s Kim Jones would reveal the symbiotic relationship between fashion and art. In the past, Michele has said: “Art is about connection. No real artist wants to make a piece and close it in a box so that nobody gets to touch it. In the same way, fashion is about connection.”

Here is a primer on the players:

LOUIS VUITTON