Modern art that is tailor-made

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Kim Jones at Dunhill with Terence Koh

Richard James with Spencer Tunick

Patrick Grant at Norton & Sons with Jeremy Deller

Dolce & Gabbana with Ron Arad

The art of tailoring may be a long-established British tradition but a new exhibition has elevated the gentleman's suit to an art form.

Eighteen top fashion designers and tailors including Sir Paul Smith, John Galliano and Ralph Lauren have collaborated with artists from Antony Gormley to music producer Mark Ronson to create one-off suits representing their “skills and artistic vision”.

Spencer Tunick worked with Richard James to produce “The Naked Suit” of transparent organza, fully in keeping with an artist famed for photographing the public in the nude.

Jeremy Deller took inspiration from Winston Churchill's “siren suit” — created to keep him comfortable during long hours working through air raids — to create a modern utility outfit with Patrick Grant at Norton and Sons.

Ron Arad, working with Dolce and Gabbana, added sensors like the ones in car bumpers to alert you if someone invades your space.

Ronson, collaborating with Frida Giannini at Gucci, was inspired by his love of music.

The commissions were the brainchild of Jeremy Langmead, editor of Esquire magazine, which will feature them in the September issue — out next week — which is dedicated to the men's suit.

The suits can be seen from tomorrow until 31 August in a free show at Somerset House.

They took up to six months to make and have been shipped to London from all over the world — with some stopped by customs because they looked so odd.

None is likely to make it into production — Terence Koh's with Dunhill looks like an explosion in a ticker-tape factory.

Mr Langmead said Ralph Lauren's and Burberry's were “eminently wearable” but added: “Antony Gormley's electroplated suit would not be comfortable.”

 

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