Fashion meets technology: At the “Fashion Forward” exhibit designed to highlight the role between fashion and technology, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago honored French blogger Garance Doré with its first ever Fashion Inspiration Award Thursday evening.
“I’m very humbled because I know I probably helped open the doors to a new way to think about fashion,” Doré said in accepting her award. “I know it now, it’s been eight years. But I always remember when I started, it was just me, my illustrations and my computer. I wanted to share what I had without even thinking. I used what I did best which was at the time not that much. I had taught myself a little HTML, the language in which you write Web sites, and I knew how to draw. I also loved fashion but I never had thought anyone would want to hear what I had to say about it. Still I decided to give it a chance.” When Doré, who has collaborated with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chopard, started her blog in 2006, success or failure was not on her mind.
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“It all just started as a personal adventure. But this is probably how magic happens,” she said. “That’s what I’ve seen at this museum. You connect things that were not connected before. Mix together things that shouldn’t have been mixed.”
After her award acceptance, the Corsica native said she’s currently focused on finishing her book, scheduled to be released in 2015.
“It’s about style, but about style inside and out — not just fashion,” Doré said. And when it comes to personal style, Doré, who said she’s living the American dream, is very French.
“The more I live in America, the more I realize how French [I am]. I have habits and things that I think that I’m like ‘oh yeah.’ I think a bit differently,” said Doré. “French women usually have their thing and stick to it. American women are more explorative and like to experiment. French women want to shine and want people to see them. The fashion is important, but they only think about it for a little bit. It’s more ‘this is my style.’”
In addition to honoring Doré, the exhibit featured 28 wearable technology looks, including an LED “Climate Dress” by Diffus Design, a Cutecircuit tuxedo illuminated by an iPhone app and a Fiber Optic Little Black Dress by Alison Lewis for Switch Embassy. The event raised more than $40,000 for the museum’s annual fund, which supports exhibits and science education programs.