Parallel number four: Jackson Wiederhoeft and his historical inspirations.
Both modern and nostalgic at the same time, Wiederhoeft’s collections are pretty impressive. While appealing to the modern woman, his creations are historical and romantic. We can see this in a variety of garments’ shapes. Occasionally dresses look like they came from the Victorian era, and sometimes they are reminiscent of Belle Epoch silk gowns ornamented with embroidery, ribbons, sequences, pearls, cherubs, and supplemented with elusive bows along the corseted torso, sleeves, and legs.
Jackson Wiedrhoeft grew up in Texas, though one cannot detect his origins based on his work. He graduated from Parsons School of Design in 2016 (where he won “Women’s Designer of the Year”), and afterwards worked for Thom Browne (where he focused specifically on embroidery) for three years.
Jackson Wiedrhoeft © Adraint Bereal, NYT
Theatrical and whimsical garments show an imaginative mind conveying the stories and inventing a mind-blowing fantasy out of each creation. “I didn’t really see that much theatre growing up or anything. I guess the little bit that I did see just kind of stuck in my mind,” Wiederhoeft says in his interview. “And then I feel like the theatrical thing really started to evolve, probably once I lived in New York. I actually used to work more in costume design, up until I got an internship with Thom Browne, and I just stayed on the fashion track.”
Wiederhoeft SS21 Bridal © Forged in the North
Wiedrhoeft RTW SS 2021 collection “Mother Goose and all Her Silly Little Friends” © Paul Simon
The 27-year-old designer debuted his first collection, “Spooky Couture”, for spring 2020 as a theatrical ballet performance-cum-fashion-show, showing his passion for history and theatre and dance in particular.
Wiederhoeft RTW Spring 2020 collection titled “Spooky Couture” © Paul Simon
We can see how theatrics and drama are woven into Wiedrhoeft’s work in his performance-based fashion shows. His designs are like fairy-tales with intricate garments piled with tulle, velvet, and lace.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the fashion industry from top to bottom, Jackson Wienderhoeft created his bridal collection by himself in his Brooklyn-based studio during the quarantine. This collection caused a sensation in the fashion world, and it was highly acclaimed. “Doing this collection was really hard, honestly, emotionally, just to get up every day and do it in the middle of the pandemic, but I knew it was therapeutic for myself and also for everyone involved, ultimately,” – recalls the designer.
When asked, “Why do you call brides ‘celebrants’?” the young designer responded:
“Celebration is the keyword here. It’s all about the joy. I’m celebrating a person and a human rather than gender. I want to cater to something that’s full of joy. And because we need to work harder on making sure the vocabulary around weddings is more inclusive.”
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Wiederhoeft SS22 Bridal Film
Wiederhoeft SS21 Bridal © Forged in the North / Journal de la Mode et du Goût, 25 August 1790 © Museum of Fine Arts Boston
We can see a full range of puffed sleeves, called Gigot sleeves or leg o’mutton sleeves. They became fashionable in the 1830s and were popular during the Victorian era fashion spiral until the 1890s.
1895 Victorian style featured an array of puffed and rounded sleeves
Wiederhoeft SS21 Bridal © Forged in the North / Mutton sleeves on a traditional, late 19th century dress © Hulton Archive, Getty Images
Wiederhoeft SS21 Bridal © Forged in the North / An off the shoulder, puff-sleeved gown with matching gloves, 1949 © BETTMANN Getty Images
The designer was inspired by ballerinas Anna Pavlova, Alicia Markova and Moira Shearer, portraits of Sargent and Degas, as well as Cecil Beaton’s photo album Bright Young Things.
Anna Pavlova
Wiederhoeft SS21 Bridal © Forged in the North
Jackson Wiederhoeft has created outfits for Rihanna, Aquaria, and Lil’ Kim. He recently made the pink bow-bedecked costume Lady Gaga wore in her “Stupid Love” video.
Rihanna © Terry Richardson
Dom Pérignon x Lady Gaga © Nick Knight
Aquaria © Marco Ovando
Wiederhoeft’s collections inspire us to want to get up every morning because there is something bright and colourful, and joyful about them. It feels like they are created to make us smile and make our day better.