Deconstruction (deconstructivism) in fashion can be something really easy to show and kind of explain, but a lot of purists and "fashion IS art" people take very, very personally and very, very seriously. At any fashion institution, it comes up as frequently as Rei Kawakubo's "Lumps and Bumps" collection, which is in fact a great example of deconstructivism in fashion that is from a different point of view.
When applied to contemporary fashion, the premise is to basically deconstruct the formalities of fashion as an act of subversion: exposed seams, frayed edges, exposed linings/inside as the outside, extreme alterations of the balance points (e.g. Margiela's oversized and also doll collections), found garments/up-cycling, decomposing, re-assemblage etc. The idea of deconstruction stems from
Jacques Derrida's philosophical writings, first introduced in
Of Grammatology I believe (but the one I'm most familiar with is
Différance) and has been applied to basically anything and everything (literature, politics, cinema, architecture, sociology and many other areas). Some even say that selling reworked t-shirts for exorbitant prices is in itself "deconstruction". I say it's capitalism, but hey ho.
Deconstruction is something that can easily be turned into an "aesthetic", because it has very recognisable signifiers, like exposed seams or up-cycling, so it does become a go to for many to validate choices say in finishings and to also heighten their work to some level (coz art). The way Margiela used it was to showcase process of construction instead of offering a conventional perfect final thing - subvert what fashion can be presented as - and to also inject a very sensual sense of humour, which is something Helmut Lang did with his collections. Margiela used it to find a beauty in the undone or in what is typically viewed as something that is half finished, and his conviction and sense of humour/nuance with it made it work. People and critics found it polarising, similar to when Yamamoto and Kawakubo first showed in Paris. Of course there other things Margiela presented through his application of deconstruction, but this is one I always find notable.
It can also err towards critique or comment about the fashion industry itself; think McQueen's "Horn of Plenty" or "It's a Jungle Out There" collections, Viktor and Rolf's use of theatrics, and Lutz Huelle's use of upcycling. So it can encompass a lot of things, and can often be taken a little too seriously by those that don't know how to execute it well enough, or even by those that think they know it all and try to add something to someone's work.
That being said, there is further history of deconstruction that goes beyond Derrida so it isn't entirely new, he just 'theorised' it as many other cultures and society's have found beauty in the "undone". Things that spring to mind is the Japanese boro boro technique (also notably applied in Olivier Theysken's S/S 2022 collection), kintsugi ceramics, women during WWII making their own suits of their husband's or men's old suit/uniforms. There is a vast history to it, but many start it at Derrida.
Sorry for the long winded explanation, this kind of stuff was ingrained in me during my degree and honours... so if it reads as manic, it was learnt as a manic
