The Identity of Iranian Architecture and The Forma
The Identity of Iranian Architecture and The Forma
The Identity of Iranian Architecture and The Forma
org
Abstract
Throughout history, fashion and architecture have repeated each other in terms of form and appearance. It seems quite
natural that they share not only their initial function, which is to provide shelter and protect human; but also show skills
in creating space and volume beyond the two-dimensional plates and materials. In recent years, the relationship between
clothing design and architecture has become more significant. Computer tools and software have changed the borders of
designing each one. Buildings are more fluid and clothes are more architectural. The architectural alphabet in fashion
from one hand, and on the other hand the fashion ideas and methods used in architecture as well as experiencing similar
themes in both domains are among the features of these arts. The exploitation of such common points among the two
areas challenges the conventional ideas and pre-defined concepts of design, putting forward new solutions and
experiences for designers. In this research, some of these common ideas have been studied and how these ideas are
linked within both of these domains. The method of this research is descriptive and analytical; and data are collected
from documents and research materials including books, articles, photos and electronic resources. This research seeks the
common ideas in architecture and fashion and their mutual interaction with each other and provides some examples in
both arts. The results of this research show that architecture has an effective role in shaping fashion and the attitude to the
clothing design.
Keywords: Architecture Identity; Iranian Architecture; Design; Fashion.
1. Introduction
The living space and physical appearance have always been the attachments of humankind and have been
differently shaped in accordance to its climatic, cultural and social conditions, and the aesthetic and artistic taste of
people at any period of time, in every nation. Architecture and fashion design can be regarded as the most practical
arts in responding to this attachment. These two arts are inextricably linked because of their permanent influence on
life and the extent of their dominance in individuals’ lives. "The relationship between the two disciplines is very
significant: in both of them, design is largely based on proportions, the human body, mathematics and geometry, to
create a protective coverage for sheltering human beings." [1]
Coverage is a common element of these two arts. The concept of covering was a fundamental concept since more
than half a century in architecture. The construction of facade or a frame from fabric, transformed the concept of
surface in architecture into something like clothing, and showed that buildings define the concept of coverage. In
architecture, covering the living space and separation from the external environment to protect human against
environmental damage, preserving privacy, equipping the interior with a variety of functions, and the need for beauty;
and on the other hand, in fashion and clothing design, covering the body to protect it against possible environmental
231
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
hazards, providing comfort, catering religious beliefs as well as the cultural and social norms, and ultimately for the
sake of beauty and novelty. Thus, the covertness and the concept of shelter in both of these arts is a common and
almost identical factor that can be the reason for the presence of many shared concepts and ideas in the design in both
disciplines. "Fashion design has never been far away from architecture. from the beginning of human life apparel
provided shelter in the form of clothing for the body, and then architecture appeared in the form of a structure and a
body for protecting humankind against animals by protectors at the roof and wall [1]. This study tries to focus on the
phenomenon of architecture and its effects on the tastes and minima of individuals, and explores the inner layers of
fashion. To this aim, three questions as the following are discussed:
1) What are the commonalities among architectures and fashion?
2) What role does Iranian architecture play in the ideas for and designing clothes?
3) What are the implications of presence of fashion and its roots in architectural culture for the clothes design?
Considering that fashion design is considered a newer trend compared to the architecture; hence, the emergence of
common experiences between the two of them is hinged upon the advancement in design and ideation in this art, the
formation of the fashion industry and the artistic look of designers in clothing shows, the advancement of technology
in both fashion and architecture, and the formation of schools of thought and the influential artistic styles in both of
them. The need to introduce collaborative and effective ideas for users of both disciplines is a way to more creativity.
The purpose of this research is to understand the inter-textual connection between text in architecture and fashion
design. Understanding the common points between these two arts can challenge the conventional ideas and pre-
defined concepts of design, providing innovative solutions to the designers of both disciplines. The dynamic
relationship between architecture and the design of clothes opens the way for new possibilities that take the two
disciplines to other directions. One of the most important and most influential elements in architecture and fashion
design is nature, which cannot be discussed here due to the diversity and frequency of the topic. Discussion of
common experiences is focused on the introduction of shared ideas and concepts in these two arts, and the recognition
of common relationships and mutual influences.
To do this and achieve the desired result, we take into account that the definitions of design, fashion and
architecture have significant commonalities, and also the type of attitude to the architecture capital system can be
observed in fashion, and the roots of fashion are in the architecture, and investigated the content and concepts and
obtained the results of the present research.
2. Research Methodology
The methodology of this research is descriptive and analytical, and the method of collecting data is using library
documents and the research materials including books, articles, photographs and electronic documents. The theoretical
principles of this research are based on the concepts of architecture and fashion from the point of view of the experts.
This research focuses on finding the shared ideas in architecture and fashion through an inter-textual reading and
providing some examples in both arts. Through a descriptive approach toward the architecture and fashion relationship
as well as other works of art, the instances provided in this study are examined in terms of the philosophical, cultural,
and social concepts as well as the structural and technical elements, and taking into account how these ideas are
formed in both disciplines.
232
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
Crewe (2010), in his study "Wear: Where? The Convergent Geographies of Architecture and Fashion," examined
fashion and architecture practices equally relevant to questions about color, sensory experience, persistence and
display; and concluded that the new fashion has followed the understandable shape and form of urbanism in which it is
present [4].
Paksoy and Yalcin (2005) in their study titled "Architectural Inspirations in Fashion Design" studied a group of
fashion design students at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Cukurova University designing cloth inspired from architecture.
They began their work by considering the architecture magazines and interactive media, and selecting a building; and
concluded that there were common points and mutual influence between some of the factors of architecture and
fashion design and the importance of these two phenomena [5].
Hedayat (2012) in his thesis, "Inquiry on Interrelationships between Architecture and Fashion Design," showed that
the relationship between fashion design and architecture was somewhat focused on the social dimension of architecture
and fashion. Fashion design is under the influence of architecture; i.e., it is becoming more and more structural and
technical. The impact that each of these trends had on each other made them stronger and in some way allowed
designers to expand their horizons and pay attention to the aesthetic attitude of people [2].
Kotb (2014) in his research showed that the structure, materials, decoration and motifs are Deco's three most
famous works of art. So, as a source of inspiration for innovation, fashion design was used and this trend was
fashioned and added value. The design inspired from the analysis is in accordance with the relationship between the
source of inspiration (building) and the concepts of fashion design (functional, structural, and aesthetic) based on the
principles of fashion design, and it strengthens the architecture and glamour of fashion design [6].
Kaur (2014) explores the development of one-piece uniforms for college girls, inspired by architecture, in the city
of Livonia; and concluded that a general overview of the preferences of the respondents for the designs developed
from a one-piece cloth is inspired by architecture. In addition, one-piece clothing gains a lot of attention due to the
design, the suitability of the color combination, the similarity, comfort and overall appearance of the dress [7].
In the article "Comparison of the Functional Minimalism in Fashion and Architecture", Park and Yim (2013) looked
at the function of similarities between architecture and fashion. As the features of functional minimalism, they found
these results: simplicity in a structure that highlights structural lines in a non-decorative design, the pursuit of a subsidy
pattern with economic value, which showed effectiveness through repetition in the unified process and pattern for its
economic effects [8].
Sourian and Taheri Sarmad (2015), in their article "A Comparative Comparison of Architecture and Fashion"
showed that architecture, fashion and clothing have a direct relationship with culture, art, nature and religion. Over
time, it has been affected by science and technology. They concluded that architecture and fashion have common
features such as beauty, stability, resistance, efficiency, and performance, but there are many differences in terms of
the organization of space and the use of light in design and the kind of material.
Kateb and Khodi (2015) showed that the common points between architecture and fashion design are due to the
clear and viable effects of those elements that exist in the form of an idea or concept or the real representation of them
in the works of both domains. In some of the factor and elements, such as technical solutions, light, structural
representations and geometry, the influence showed itself more obviously. In some others, such as literature, visual
arts, deconstruction, identity, and the process of construction (structuralism), adaptations were often in the form of
complex and symbolic works [10].
233
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
234
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
Protecting humans against environmental damage is among the functions of both architecture and clothing design.
In the field of architecture, tent is one instance of the fabric-related architecture, and the most prominent manifest of a
shelter as the third layer of humankind, after the skin and dress [13].
One of the most important common themes between fashion and architecture is the use of mathematics and
geometry through simple shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, ellipses, and more complex shapes like the
crescent [14].
The presence of new raw materials and advanced technologies in both fashion and architecture provides a
framework for designs that create texture, form and volume. Spacing and dimensions through two-dimensional and flat
materials has distorted the proportions and contractual forms in both disciplines, and gave way to new forms, which
sometimes even affect each other [13].
The idea of demonstrating the construction process through revealing the methods of execution, the stages of
construction and emphasis on structural elements used in literature, has been also employed in architecture and fashion
design for drawing the attention of audience to constructive elements and details of the work [ 13]. In this model of
clothes, stitch, seams and folds were out, as if the clothes were still in the design process. Designs, such as digital
information in which the paths are coded for the first products, were built into a complex structure by complex curved
textures and often common materials and colors were used for product design [15]. As a result, one can say in this
trend, fashion designers look at the design as a problem-solving process, and the recognition of the components and
the representation of it is the whole work.
More than a kind of artistic expression, deconstructive thinking is a critical approach to study different art styles.
Although this approach can be traced since the earlier years in paintings by artists such as René Magritte, but in
architecture and fashion, deconstructive designs do not have a history before the 1980s. [13]. Deconstructive fashion
designers design clothes that deny external contracts, social status and gender segregation, and are specially designed
for boutiques that are more similar to art galleries [3]. In both fields of architecture and fashion, the overall impact of
the deconstruction category has been in the form of adaptation from a concept [10]. As a result, deconstruction affects
architecture and fashion design and makes them interconnected.
An approach that has been observed in both fields over the years is to combine the exterior façade with the internal
structure, skeleton and framework, the two combining eventually as a whole and represent the work as a united entity
of structure and facade. This can be used as the most important idea in design and aesthetic work [13]. Hence, in the
models of both fashion designers and architects, the structural system can be used as the main idea of design and the
aesthetics of work.
In art and architecture, light is one of the components that comes along with other elements and concepts such as
structure, materials, and so on, and should play its role in design as a separate element [9]. One of the common
elements between architecture and fashion design is the use of light as a decorative, functional or smart element. In
architecture, lighting is often used for the external facade, and sometimes for the creation of a picture or image, and
can have three aspects of architectural, sensory or communicative-advertising [13]. Fashion designers were heavily
influenced by the use of lighting in apparel with the help of technology. Fashion designers have designed clothes that
are equipped with lighting equipment, and the lights change color according to the emotional and personality
relationships of the user [2]. In this way, lighting plays an important role in architecture, and new technology allowed
fashion designers to create illuminated clothes.
Techniques and methods of construction play an important role in the production process, for example, textile and
clothing sewing and designing techniques including packaging, folding, twist, pile and china, texture and printing have
a structural role in the production process; besides, they themselves are the main motivation of designing the clothes.
In recent years, these architectural techniques have also been the source of inspiration for the design of textured
structures, resulting in the formation of more complex and fluid structures compared to the past. On the other hand,
some architectural elements such as foundations, suspensions, as well as building materials such as concrete are the
main source of some fashion designers, in addition to their special emphasized use in buildings design. Some
handcrafted paper techniques such as origami, kirigami, paper cut and collage are also used in both fashion design and
architecture [13]. Therefore, the main reason for using techniques in fashion design is maximizing the functionality in
order to maximize the performance of the clothing, even independent of the user and the environment.
235
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
building may become one of the glorious features of dress design [5]. In this way, designers are more inspired by the
architecture of the famous monuments of the world and they adapt from them for their clothes and any other work.
In this regard, a number of clothing designers who have paid special attention to Iranian architecture can be
mentioned. Some of these patterns may be close to the colors and architectures of Iranian buildings. Table 1 provides
various examples and works of designers in which the architecture of Iran and the world can be observed.
Table 1. The Interrelationship between the objects of design
Ref Image Examples from architecture Ref Image Examples from architecture
Foreign Iranian
236
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
7. Conclusion
Due to the fact that fashion design is considered as a novel art compared to the architecture, the emergence of
shared experiences between the two is related to the advancement in design and idea development in this art; the
formation of the fashion industry and the artistic look of designers toward clothing shows; and technology advances in
both fashion and architecture; and the formation of schools of thought and influential artistic styles in both of them. In
general, it can be said there are many sources of inspiration including various texts and concepts that have been the
source of artistic creation both in architecture and in fashion design; some of which has been studied here including
literature, arts, identity, shelter, geometry, dimension, space, fabrication, deconstruction, structural representations,
light and the technical solutions with an inter-textual and para-textual approach proposed by Gerard Genet, , and the
existence of these types of relationships and their strength and weakness were studied.
The results are obtained from the study of two examples from architecture and fashion in each of the common
themes. As said earlier, the use of light in the provided examples of architecture and fashion explains an explicit
intertextual relationship, simply by the presence of light in an interactive way, and by the interaction of the audience
with the work; while this relationship could become a paratextual feature with the presence of a pretext, such as a
literary text, artwork or a cultural or social concept. Thus, the results obtained here, takes into account these
considerations, which criticizes how the themes and elements used in both disciplines are shared.
Examining the common points between architecture and fashion design indicates the obvious or vague influence of
those elements that are present in the form of an idea or conception or as an actual representation in the works in both
domains. The study of the shared experiences between architecture and fashion shows that the shape and form of
artistic work—here building and clothes—makes a difference in the process of retrieval and transferring, "including
literary texts, other works of art, discourses and philosophical, cultural, social, structural and technical elements" by
the author, the "architect artist or fashion designer", which is quite natural.
8. References
[1] Quinn, Bradley. "The fashion of architecture." (2003).
[2] Hedayat, Abbas. "Inquiry on interrelationships between architecture and fashion design." PhD diss., Eastern Mediterranean
University (EMU), 2012.
[3] Bozorgmehr, S., Mohammadi, M. “clothing, visual arts, architecture: intertextual discourse”. Journal of Visual Arts and
Applied Sciences (2011) no. 6. 107-128.
[4] Crewe, Louise. “Wear: Where? The Convergent Geographies of Architecture and Fashion”. Environment and Planning A 42, no.
9 (January 2010): 2093–2108. doi:10.1068/a42254.
[5] Paksoy, H., Yalcin, S. “Architectural inspirations in fashion design”. In The 3 rd International Symposium of Interactive Media
Design (2005, January).
[6] Kotb, R. M. “Art Deco architectures as inspiration source in fashion design”. International journal of Science Commerce and
Humanities (2014). 2(3), 1-17.
[7] Kaur, Navdeep. “Developing one piece dresses for college going girls inspired from architecture”. PhD diss., Punjab
Agricultural University, Ludhiana, (2014).
[8] Park, Seon-Ji, and Eun-Hyuk Yim. “Comparison of the Functional Minimalism in Fashion and Architecture.” Journal of the
Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles 37, no. 3 (April 30, 2013): 247–259. doi:10.5850/jksct.2013.37.3.247.
[9] Sourian, Z., Taheri Sarmad, F. “Comparative comparisons of architecture and fashion and clothing”. The 3rd International
Congress of Civil, Architectural and Urban Development (no. ICSAU03_1878), (2016).
[10] Kateb, F., Khodi, E. “The Common Ideas in Fashion Design and Architecture with Juvent Intertextual Approach”. Quarterly of
the University of Art, (2015) no. 15. 107-127.
[11] Dehkhoda, A. A. “Dehkhoda dictionary”. (1973).
[12] Archer, M. “Art since 1960”. Translated by Youssefi K, (2008). Tehran: Artist's career.
[13] Amir Nezhad Mozhdehi, M., Najafi Bajarsari, L. “Architecture and its relationship with fashion design and the role of
clothing”. International Conference on Civil, Architectural, Urban and Environmental Management in the Third Millennium (no.
237
Civil Engineering Journal Vol. 4, No. 1, January, 2018
SDUMEW01_276), (2006).
[14] Buxbaum, Gerda, and Gerda Buxbaum. Fashion in context. Springer, 2009.
[15] Hornbeck, Elizabeth. “Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, by Brooke Hodge.” Design and Culture 2,
no. 2 (July 2010): 247–249. doi:10.2752/175470710x12696138525901.
[16] Stewart, J. (2017, April 6). Side by Side Images Reveal How Much High Fashion is Inspired by Architecture. Retrieved
January 16, 2018, from https://mymodernmet.com/architecture-fashion-design/
[17] Azolddin, Ghazaleh. Fashion design and architecture-Design of clothing with the language of buildings. (2017).
[18] Lucien, L. 9 Fashion Designers Tell AD How They Are Inspired by Architecture. (2016).
[19] Fabric and proses. (2018). Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://www.alangoo.com/buy-gabbeh-fabric-and-proses.
[20] Amy, T. (2009, January 28). Cheat Sheet | Architectural Fashion. Retrieved January 16, 2018, from
https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/cheat-sheet-architectural-fashion/
[21] Hand made Persian - coat/ manto. (2018). Retrieved January 16, 2018, from https://www.alangoo.com/buy-gabbeh-hand-
made-persian-long-coat—manto
[22] Rezaei, Saeid. Falahat, Mohammad Sadegh. Kalami, Maryam. (2016). The Role of Information Technology in Creating the
Sense of Place. (I. Badran, Ed.) Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 11(5), 958-963. Retrieved from
http://medwelljournals.com/abstract/?doi=jeasci.2016.958.963.
238