BY STEPHANIE TRENDOCHER, FW Writer

Designers or artists? The question has often been
asked of Dutch fashion designers Viktor Horsting
and Rolf Snoeren. The two met while studying
fashion at the Academy of Arts in Arnhem,
the Netherlands and moved to Paris following
their graduation. They assisted in the studios of
Martin Margiela and Jean Collona by day, while
designing their own couture creations under the
name of Viktor & Rolf in their shared flat at
night.

The success of Viktor & Rolf is based largely
on theatricality and showmanship. More so than
pushing the boundaries in women’s fashion, they
have continuously extended the platforms onwhich they express themselves. Their runway
shows make the catwalk spectacles of John
Galliano look reserved. In 2000, Viktor & Rolf
learned to tap dance just so they could be a part
of their show’s finale.

Early in their career many in the fashion
world were not familiar with Victor & Rolf, but
several art galleries began showing interest. In
1997 Amsterdam’s Torch Gallery showcased a
collection of Viktor & Rolf installations titled
“Launch”. The exhibition was a projection of
what the two designers visualized for their brand,
complete with a mini catwalk, shop and mock
perfume. In a way it was a prophetic exhibition
and the designers received several positive reviews
from art critics and independent magazines.
This provoked the designers to take a bold
step forward and they showed an underground
couture collection during Paris Fashion Week in
1998 where they knew they would receive media
attention. From that collection a mushroom
cloud dress made Time Magazine’s picture of the
week and grabbed the attention of the media and
fashion world alike.

After becoming increasingly popular for
designing clothes that no one could wear, the
fashion duo launched a more commercial readyto-
wear collection in 2000. Following the
success of that show, Viktor & Rolf have since
gone on to produce a men’s line, accessories,
eyewear, footwear and perfume. From a business
standpoint it was necessary to take the brand in
this direction in order to progress. However as
artists they still show their spectacular couture
collections and view these clothes as their true
work. Who can forget when they dressed model
Maggie Rizer like a Russian babushka in 10
layered couture dresses and unraveled her? And
then there was the blue collection of clothes that
served as a blue screen on which a video was
projected.

Viktor & Rolf still do exhibitions and
curate but they balance their commercial success
by also making clothes people want to wear.
Following in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld and
Stella McCartney, the fashion house collaborated
with H&M on a capsule collection in 2006 which sold out as quickly as it arrived. And
while they understand the accessibility of readyto-
wear, it’s still the shows and the element of
performance that is in the heart of their work.
Their men’s collection “Monsieur” was modeled
by the designers themselves who dressed and
undressed onstage.

Memorable collections like “The Black
Hole”, “No” and “Monsieur” are featured in
the current retrospective of their work on until
September 21 at the Barbican Art Gallery in
London. The exhibition features signature pieces
from 1992 to now in a theatrical installation
titled The House of Viktor & Rolf.