Over 40 years since the "Shock of Black": Where is the context of avant-garde heading? What does the interpretation of black by various brands reveal about their views on fashion?
In the early 1980s, Comme des Garçons' black presented in Paris clashed head-on with the "glamor" and "proper femininity" of the time. TIME documents how the brand's early Paris collection in 1981, with its frayed edges, unfinished seams, and overwhelming black, shocked critics and drew strong language.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art also explains that Rei Kawakubo's work, which she showed in Paris in 1983, was perceived as "anti-fashion," and in contrast to the colorism that was popular at the time, she obscured the contours of the body with layers and volume of black.
The important thing here is not that black was "chic," but that it undermined the assumptions that supported the value judgment of clothing, shifting the meaning of clothing beyond "beauty." Black functioned as an editorial policy rather than a color in itself. The core of the avant-garde lay in that editorial policy.
The Avant-Garde's Black: Thought, Not Decoration
The legacy of the “Shock of Black” predates any particular silhouette or treatment: an attitude.
- Affirming "in progress" over completion
- Redesigning the distance between the body and the clothes rather than emphasizing the figure
- Luxury is not about shine or jewelry, but about concepts and structures
This shift saw black change its role from a "convenient color that looked solid" to a color that carried ideas. The Met positions Comme des Garçons in the early 1980s as a rejection of the Western norms of the time.
So where did that context go? It didn't disappear, it branched off.
Avant-garde black is branching out in three major directions as we move towards the modern era.
1) Minimalism: Black became "precision" rather than "nothingness."
Since the 1990s, black has been a sign of "anti-fashion," but on the other hand, it has also become the color of "precision." Prada is a prime example of this. The Met clearly states that Miuccia Prada was recognized as a minimalist, having introduced black nylon as a luxury material for clothing and accessories.
In other words, black is a symbol of destruction, but at the same time, through the selection of materials and editing skills, it has also become a color that creates a sense of "quiet luxury."
2) Black at the center of fashion history: Black began to speak about women's rights and roles
Another strong black color is found in tailoring. Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking was first presented in Autumn/Winter 1966, as can be seen in the description at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris.
Here, black not only represented formal evening wear, but also represented the tension created by the transplantation of men's clothing codes onto a woman's body. It was also a color that made visible, in another way, the "gender boundaries" that the avant-garde had expanded.
3) Towards a new “black architecture”: not subculture, but the avant-garde as an institution
Since the 2000s, black has not only been used as a "counter" but has also begun to be discussed boldly in the context of art museums and major exhibitions. The Met's 2017 exhibition systematized Rei Kawakubo's work, from the 1980s to her more recent works, and established her early impact as a "history."
Similarly, Rick Owens has had an exhibition at the Palais Galliera in Paris, marking a step towards the avant-garde being treated as part of urban culture.
Once the avant-garde was institutionalized, black took on a role closer to "governance of worldviews" than "rebellion." In other words, the avant-garde did not disappear, but rather "gained status" as an object of appreciation and collection.
"Black" for other brands: The same color, but with different roles
CHANEL: Making black the "everyday standard"
The Metropolitan Museum of Art states that Coco Chanel presented the Chanel "Little Black Dress (LBD)" in 1926. It also explains how, in the United States, American Vogue dubbed it the "Ford of Fashion" due to its simplicity and versatility.
Here, black was institutionalized as a "polite black" that anyone could use, in the opposite direction to the black of the avant-garde. The shift of black from a special nighttime color to everyday life created the foundation for modern black.
Yves Saint Laurent: Redistributing black as a "form of power"
According to the information provided by the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Yves Saint Laurent's "Le Smoking (The Tuxedo)" was presented in 1966.
This black is not just chic, but an attempt to reorganize the rules of dressing up by borrowing the "formality" of the tuxedo. Black is not "modest," but rather works as a color that penetrates the norms themselves and changes them.
Balenciaga (Cristóbal): Black as a sculpture
The reason why Cristóbal Balenciaga's black is given such special treatment is not because of the strength of the color, but because he has continued to be praised for his ability to create three-dimensional shapes using black fabric. For example, the Kimbell Art Museum's exhibition "Balenciaga in Black" brings together over 100 haute couture pieces from the 1940s to 1960s, with black shapes as its theme.
The black in this lineage is neither rebellious nor minimalist, but a black that purifies form. The less decoration there is, the more the structure comes to the fore. It could be said that black has been chosen to showcase that structure.
Givenchy: Black is the "international formal wear of film"
The description of the lot at Christie's confirms that Hubert de Givenchy designed the black dress for Audrey Hepburn for the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Here, black was elevated to a "universal symbol" not only by the Maison's ideology but also by the popular medium of film. Black spread as an "internationally accepted dignity" rather than a symbol of personal rebellion or introspection.
Armani: Making black the "modern workwear aesthetic"
Armani is essential to any discussion of 1980s power dressing, and GQ recapped this in a 2025 article, highlighting how Armani's lighter construction, draping, and contouring defined the era.
This black is not "anti-fashion," but rather a black that functions as a quiet authority in society. It can be described as a black that expresses strength without relying on gloss or decoration, but through the harmony of line and material.
Prada: Black is a color that redefines the conventional wisdom of materials
Prada's black challenged the notion that luxury was limited to leather and cashmere. Vogue notes that Prada's Vela backpack debuted in 1984, explaining how nylon became an important part of the brand's material history.
The black used here is not a sign of abstinence or rebellion, but rather a black that elevates industrial materials to a high level of quality. The more unexpected the materials, the more black enhances that unexpectedness and transforms it into persuasiveness. That is the role that can be seen.
Rick Owens: Taking Black into the Realms of Ritual and Sculpture
The recent "institutionalization" of the black avant-garde is symbolized by the fact that the Palais Galliera, a fashion museum in Paris, is hosting an exhibition on Rick Owens. The official press release states that the exhibition will cover his early work in Los Angeles to his more recent works, and that his references will extend to literature, art, and film.
This black is not used for rebellion, but rather to establish the world of the work as a "ritual." If we ask where the context of the avant-garde has gone, in this way, black continues to be updated as the "language of the avant-garde."
Summary: Avant-garde black hasn't "disappeared," but its uses have increased.
The reason why the "impact of black" was so strong in the early 1980s was not because black was beautiful, but because it shifted the very standards of value judgment. More than 40 years have passed since then, and black no longer has a single meaning.
Chanel's black creates standards, Saint Laurent's black shifts form, Balenciaga's black refines shape, Prada's black changes the perception of materials, Yohji's black slows down the reading of the body, and Rick's black connects to ritual. We can summarize this by saying that black has transformed from an avant-garde "sign" into a vessel that can accommodate multiple aesthetics.
A Spoonful of MOOD
Black is a color that asks what to keep rather than what to add. So the more black is treated as "convenient," the more faded it becomes. On the other hand, the black of the Maison, which treats black as a "way of thinking," remains at its core even as the seasons and silhouettes change.
What MOOD values is a black that conveys its core. It is not a black that wins through flashiness, but a black that is persuasive through its materials, structure, and the accumulation of time. Black may appear silent, but it actually has a large vocabulary. That is why we believe that wearing black is not about "saying nothing," but is similar to choosing your words carefully.
