The Tamesis
Gernreich founded RG Designs in 1960, citing American visionaries Claire McCardell and Martha Graham as key influences, explaining that they taught him “the common denominator of all design forms…the simplicity of rhythm”. “He achieved this syncopation through proportions, color mixes, sometimes Op-like patterns and prints, and all soft fabrics. But Gernreich didn’t see himself as a conductor; instead, he believed that the wearer brought the clothes or music to life.”
Initially, the casual, active and outdoorsy elements of his designs were associated with California, where the fashion industry was booming at the time. They also looked to the sporty pieces that defined the 1970s, but overall, Gernreich’s pieces expressed the youthful, free, non-conformist spirit of the 1960s. “Fashion is really coming out of the streets now,” he told the Tribune-Gannett News Service in 1967. “Young people say ‘We are human beings, not men and women.'” Sexual confusion does not exist. This is a social change. “
In 1964, Gernreich launched a revolution from the inside out with the creation of the No-Bra for the Exquisite Form. Back then, bras were heavy artillery pieces that imposed shape. The Gernreich’s second-skin design is made from clear bias-cut nylon mesh and features spaghetti straps (although they only come in a size 34B). The idea is to follow the body’s natural shape. Over time, Gernreich gradually changed this, introducing stick-on vinyl patches, thongs, and later advocating not using any supports. “As a designer, he is one of the most powerful forces in American fashion and perhaps the greatest enemy of modesty,” noted a writer at the time. Not only did Gernreich debut bikinis, he also embraced miniskirts and made liberal use of tailoring, all of which was well-worn by his muse Peggy Moffitt.
In 1968, Gernreich took a year off. Returning to business, he began to focus more and more on interior decoration and food, slightly reducing his fashion output. When he was designing clothes, his interests were in comfort, authenticity and unisex dressing. According to reports, he was forward-thinking and experimented with fusion fashion, which features seams fixed with sound, heat and lasers. Daily News.
At the same time, he strongly opposes the retrograde tendencies that are dominating the fashion world. “Nostalgia worries me. It’s a drug,” he told san francisco observer 1974, “Nostalgia is a false sense of security, a search for the past because we fear the present and the future. Watergate and world upheaval are part of that when people try to retreat into history. It’s also part of the rebellion against the dehumanizing aspects of technological progress. But isn’t that reality? I will continue to resist romanticizing the past.”
Gernreich kept his word. Who will now follow in his footsteps and try to break nostalgia’s hold on fashion and culture? Please take a step forward.
