Haute couture designer Colleen Quen hosts Sennheiser art and sound exhibition in San Francisco.
Mourning the loss of Karl Lagerfeld, part of a sophisticated collective of prolific couturiers and designers passing away in the last decade which also notably includes Alexander McQueen, Sonia Rykiel, and Azzedine Alaïa still resonates throughout fashion.
Very few recent designers have memorably graced runways as the few aforementioned which often leaves the fashion industry at an apex with where couture has been and where it is headed.
Such as all things during the shift of a new era, trends take over for a brief moment of time then shapeshift again but it is those true greats that make their mark unmistakably with their meticulous training, sheer vision and no-nonsense approach to truly providing quality that comprises an actual haute couturier and designer.
Living in an environment where quantity over quality in mass production not only plagues the fashion industry but music, film as well as other assorted creative avenues. These very practices often leave the “artist” feeling creatively stifled at times with pressing due dates and their very craftsmanship compromised with many of the majors needing to supply and demand a capricious world that jumps from one trend to the next in a flash of an Instagram posting.
Quietly behind the scenes—-we find San Francisco-based couturier, Colleen Quen (pictured in the video above) whom still retains ownership of her private Maison label throughout the years whilst diligently working and creating some of the most ornate gowns and couture pieces. In following suit with her quite passionate involvement and training as a couturier, Quen was recently invited to join the Fédération Française de la Creation Couture Sur Mesure in Paris which was established by a small group in an effort to preserve the ancient art of haute couture. Over decades, she has been commissioned to craft an array of specially designed international projects from ornate ballet costumes to architecturally-inspired couture for renowned museums and of course, creating for her private list of clientele.
Quen’s tailor-made creations do not end there, between technology-based live art events with Apple and one of her more recent collaborations with German sound pioneer, Sennheiser in San Francisco found her painting by sound on one of her own gowns entitled, “Madam Butterfly”.
Her symbiotic interpretation of fusing music, art, and fashion is delivered with a message, Quen stated, “My message is to share the process and appreciation of the creation. I am here to inspire, to appreciate the process of creation.”
Her vast knowledge of the design process puts her square center balancing technology, precision, and yet artistry that knows no creative bounds. When asked if she would take part in another event such as the Sennheiser collaboration it seems she has a few surprises forming, in which we can only wonder to which avenue this cutting-edge traditionalist will delight the industry with next.
For more information on the haute couturier and fashion designer, please visit her website at Colleen Quen Couture.
Video Courtesy of Colleen Quen + Sennheiser Collaboration | San Francisco