The dress is a wild blend of red and magenta. Vibrant black and scarlet hearts over the sleeves seem to fly into the air. The collar and tulle, both umbrella shaped, have edges tipped with obsidian. Gentle rose petals curve in tight buds on the Queen's head. The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland inspired French Canadian costume designer Liz Vandal to create this impractical, unwearable dress. Vandal and other designers like Guo Pei and Iris Van Harpen make outrageous designs for the catwalk. These renowned designers make statements of their strengths and their visions of rich possibilities of art through haute couture. Haute couture is more than a piece of clothing, it is an expression of art. Haute couture plays a major role in the fashion industry by displaying the qualities and skills of a designer. Designers show their ideas of surreal art by constructing unique pieces of unwearable fashion in fascinating forms. Couturiers’ designs are meaningful and relatable for audiences as they give messages about audiences’ surroundings. Since fascinating art impact emotions, couturiers interact with audiences by creating couture that makes audiences aware of important social issues. Although unwearable designs are a powerful means for designers to express their creative imaginations and connect with spectators, the idea of unwearable fashion originated in the world of fashion merchandising, when designers thought to design something so unique and complicated that it would be hard for knock-off artists to copy them, and as a result this could show a designer’s style and originality, and create a recognizable brand.

Why is surrealistic art combined with fashion?

Surrealism is thought-provoking and dramatic, it gives life to a dress, and pleases admirers of high art with a combination of fashion and surrealism. Sometimes the details of surreal designs are mysterious, this leaves audiences to imagine something, otherwise it would be boring if every art piece was easy to understand. However, designers began to exploit the idea of surrealism because it worked as a preventive measure—since there is no originality protection laws for designers, designers followed the trend of unimaginable outfits in order to create a unique product which would be too hard for knock-off artists to copy. This helps them to claim their designs to be original. In the pictures above: 1) The white shell has secret details. The white lines on it are almost invisible, and we cannot see under the shell. 2) The dress made of gold is rare. Not everyone can afford and copy it. 3) Lady Gaga made a fabulous entry with her chicken costume. Even though she went blind for a day, her outfit grabbed media’s attention.

Except for logos, brand names, and symbols, other elements are left unprotected by the copyrights law as they see fashion completely as utilitarian objects but never as art. If there were copyright protection for clothing, example a shirt, then we had to license separately for every part of that shirt, license the collar, sleeves, cuffs etc. Another problem would be, if one person's idea was to make a polka dotted collar, and he saw someone else with that similar pattern, then he might shout out to that person, ''You are stealing my design! All polka dotted collars are my property!''. So, clothes are too utilitarian for copyright protection. We cannot differentiate if a person is stealing a design or he is wearing that design as a basic need or other reasons. Since logos have copyright protection, designers started spreading logos on their products. Yet, knock-off artists even copied them. So, designers thought let's make something so unique and complicated to an extent that competitors cannot copy them. This is how unwearable fashion was born. Despite surreal runway designs being sometimes hard to interpret, this does not worry designers as their goal is only to represent their uniqueness and be recognizable.

Why do designers make breathtaking but niche runway dresses?

Haute couture is a prime part of fashion as they give aesthetic pleasures to audiences. Fancy and lavish details attract the public, and connect with their senses and emotions in a strong way. Couturiers are able to resonate with viewers and share their perception of the world. However, the main reason why visually appealing designs are thrown on the runway is the intention of making a good sale. Fashion is a highly competitive industry where everything depends on winning the interest of a potential customer. Instead of using flashy slogans and provocative images for advertisements, designers use their creativity to craft an eye-catching look to make their brand stand out.

Why are there political fashion shows?

In political fashion shows the use of uncommon materials to make a piece of clothing can fill audiences’ minds with curiosity and make a powerful statement. Shocking arts can impact emotions, help audiences learn about social problems, and make them politically active. For example Lady Gaga’s outfit, which was made of cow’s meat, was believed by the designer that it could make a powerful impact as a way to promote the idea of gay rights. In 2010, Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw meat to the Video Music Awards. The designer of that dress, Franc Fernandez’s message was every individual has the same flesh, gender differences are mere things to divide people, so every person is equal in claiming their rights and dignity. He was voicing his thoughts about the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy in military service which did not let non-heterosexual service people disclose their sexual orientations. However, that dress was infamous. On social media the public criticized the dress. Even though public reaction was negative, those criticisms worked as a great advertisement. Bad designs are remembered more than good designs. In fact, it does not matter to haute couture designers if audiences get their message, love their dresses, or dislike them. What was important was the public was talking about the meaty dress, they were interested to know who made that unwearable stuff, and that made Franc Fernandez much more famous. So, designers mainly use couture to promote their market and make more money. Also, since the public are curious with celebrities’ fashion styles, designers sell their designs to them to present their products to a wider range of customers.

Nevertheless, it is possible to claim the importance of the role which art plays in the world of fashion. All around the globe talented artists conduct private exhibitions, fashion shows, and performances in order to share their perception of life, culture, history, and national heritage. As lots of haute couture shows are presented as full stage performances, there is a rich experience exchange among designers and audiences.The unwearable clothes usually serve as a canvas for artistic genius to find its way to the world. Fashion can be proudly presented as art in its purest form. Countless designs exist only to present and acknowledge some problems, issues, or events and serve as messengers from artist to viewer, even if sometimes the public misunderstands the original purpose of the project as it was with Lady Gaga’s outfit. However, fashion reflects business. It is more than runway glamour. It is important to note that the artistic expression of a designer is not the top priority when it comes to selling actual merchandise, even though it is expressive and serves as a way of communication with an audience. Creative thinking is a powerful tool in context of advertising particular product. Thus, when the future of the billionaire company with thousands of workers depends on efficient advancement, imaginative designs become successful marketing and breathtaking fashion shows, promotion material. As the fate of every designer relies on financial status of the brand, the main reasoning for the creation of unwearable outfits is profit.

Ultimately, unwearable designs are creative expressions that stimulate and fascinate spectators, yet unique outfits may vary greatly from society’s expectations. From an economic point of view, unwearable designs are influenced and encouraged by the commercial world because designers need to protect their work from being stolen. Thus, the proclaimed works of art are so complex just for the sake of being too hard to be re-created. For a modern audience, clothes become a forgettable detail of everyday life as they are expected to be comfortable and simple enough to be worn on a daily basis. By contrast, bizarre trends of unwearable fashion stand out and assert themselves among simplistic designs for mass production and distribution. Since fashion is restless and keeps on changing styles, probably in coming years, when both audiences and markets get bored by unwearable fashion, designers might find a new strategy to advertise their work.