In celebration of their 20^th anniversary Viktor & Rolf return to couture this coming summer during the Fall 2013 couture calendar, which will be held in July. It has been 13 years since they last presented their Bells collection within this week, after turning to the prêt-a-porter calendar. Their earlier couture collections can be regarded as the work that torpedoed their careers in becoming industries most influential fashion duo from the Netherlands. Giving face to the term ‘conceptual-fashion’, something the Netherlands has been honored as well as despised for, as in creating work that is un-wearable. But since the industry currently is almost solely business oriented, it is a welcome act to a possible change towards celebrating the art of fashion. I will never forget the Russian Doll collection they presented in 1999, which wasn’t just a showing of refined couture work in a catwalk setting but a conceptual spectacle on its own – a piece of art (see video below). Any Viktor & Rolf fan must look back on this time with great sentiment. It will be curious to see whether V&R will reminisce this same kind of genius wit and irony into this coming presentation. An irony they presented for example in the nineties when presenting a faux-fragrance entitled Le Parfum. A limited edition of 250 bottles that couldn’t be opened, which played with the idea of fashion’s name branding through fragrance; a bottle filled essentially with water and name on it. Photographer Wendelien Daan back then shot a faux-advertising campaign for it, which was published in several magazines. It was genius.