Only Lady Gaga can rock an egg like she did at the Grammy Awards. And it very well may be that only one designer can create it. Gaga has apparently been a fan of the designer for some time… and may have been inspired by a piece that he had created years ago…
His name is Hussein Chalayan, a Turkish designer widely regarded both as a genius, and as somewhat controversial figure in his field.
Now forthy, when he was eight years old he moved with his family to England, where he would eventually study fashion and become an Absolut Fashion Award winner and two time title holder of British Designer of the Year.
He is as passionate about his fashion as he is about his arts projects… Place To Passage, a 2004 exhibition which bears a striking similarity to the egg, is a statement about, according to his website: “the implications of speed, technology and displacement to the extent of urging a return back into the the womb.”
It’s no wonder that Gaga is a fan… Chalayan too knows how to get big buzz… even when his clothes aren’t the thing causing all the attention. Fabsugar’s report of Paris’ Fashion Week in 2007 would have been crazy not to mention the showstopping angle for his runway show, which “featured apparel that opened and fell away on its own, leaving models standing on the runways in the buff. It was a technical marvel created by a special effects team who worked on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
In fact, Lady Gaga is so much of a fan that she has previously been accused of copying the designer.
At left, a Hussein Chalayan design from 2007, at right, a 2009 image from her Fame Ball tour.
Whatever happened back then, it appears the past is past, and the two have collaborated on this Grammy Ensemble to great success. Twitter users practically bubbled over with enthusiasm over the entrance, a calculated reference to her new single ‘Born This Way,’ which has been the subject of some criticism over similarities to Madonna’s “Express Yourself.” After tonight, however, few people are likely to be talking about the comparison. Gaga’s signature – a distinctly distinct look, (don’t forget her meat dress from the MTV Awards last year) combined with her award wins, will instead be the headline.
By the way, this is not Chalayan’s first time working the pop artist/concert beat… back in 1995 he was also known as the designer of choice for Bjork… not only did he do many of her costumes for her “Post” concert tour, he also designed the jacket she wore for her iconic album cover
Hmmm……Roger Dean did this almost EXACT design when this guy was a tot. Moved to England at a young age? He MUST have seen this in Roger’s book VIEWS, which came out in 1975…yes…1975! Here is a quote of a book review by Greg Barbrick, who reviewed VIEWS:
BEGIN QUOTE
Views is not exclusively about Dean’s work with musicians. He went to college to study international design, and there are chapters devoted to his work in the field, and in architecture. His “Sea Urchin Chair†remains a curiosity, although it never progressed beyond the prototype phase. Dean’s “Interior Pod†is also an interesting (if somewhat creepy) idea.
END QUOTE
It’s the “Interior Pod” that is nearly IDENTICAL to this Gaga Egg that should have Roger Dean hopping made that this is being touted as something ‘original’