10 times DJs lent their talents to high fashion runway shows

For a runway showcase, mood is everything. Great music can elevate a designer's collection to astronomical heights, introducing a crucial emotional component. Over the years, high fashion houses like Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Alexander Wang, Kenzo and more have enlisted the talents of top electronic producers for their fashion week presentations. Some, like The Martinez Brothers and Jamie XX, specially composed and arranged productions exclusive to a designer, while Daft Punk and Brodinski created curated mixes to match runway shows.

See our 10 favorite electronic artist contributions below.

Daft Punk's whimsical, futuristic allure caught the attention of high fashion houses around the world. One of the first to grab the iconic French duo's talents was Louis Vuitton for its 2008 Spring/Summer show. Homem-Christo and Bangalter created an eight-track mix including four of their own, their production with Kanye West, 'Stronger' and an unexpected Busta Rhymes song for the runway presentation. The compilation showcases the classic, heavy Daft Punk sound and proves an interesting complement to Vuitton's grittier, purposely blotchy designs that year.

The Martinez Brothers composed, mixed and arranged the music for Riccardo Tisci's Givenchy runway shows for multiple collections during 2014 and 2016 after meeting the celebrated designer in Ibiza.

A favorite exclusive piece for Tisci was their Fall/Winter 2014 concerto, an unexpected 10-minute arrangement of airy, drumming production which pulls from trap components and fluttering motifs that mimic the nature of the designer’s label pieces. Around the 8:30 mark, The Martinez Brothers take on haunting vibrations strongly dissimilar from their usual club sets, proving versatile production masters. The mix is highly textured, with layers tangible and in tune with the flow of Tisci’s models.

Alexander Wang enlisted Baauer to create a pre-show mix in 2016. The 45-minute work features artists like Purple, Tim Hecker, Chainless and Schlomo. Baauer’s contribution to Wang’s showcase incorporates his standard elements of trap while impressively bringing on deep, classical elements. The flow and progression successfully lifts the emotions on a rollercoaster, running parallel along Alexander Wang’s chic, street-inspired designs and proving one of our favorite collaborations between electronic music and fashion.

There is little more epic than a dramatic curtain drop cued in perfect timing with explosive Justice chords.

The artistic director of Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche, appointed the French electro duo to specially compose a remastered, four-part version of their 2005 production 'Planisphere' for his 2009 runway presentation. The track runs eight minutes of thundering Justice perfection, an interesting statement of juxtaposition to Assche's futuristic designs set in an all-natural venue complete with foliage set in the audience.

The Bromance don Brodinski joined Astrid Andersen as a part of Red Bull’s Catwalk Studios program to curate a mix for the designer’s Menswear runway show. The 40-minute compilation featured tracks from both Brodinski's debut studio album 'Brava' and his latest compilation, 'Homieland Vol II'. The iconic Parisian producer also paired Astrid’s clean-cut, modern designs with a handful of tracks by his label artists, including Sam Tiba and Gener8ion. The mix is classic Brodinski, sporting menacing hip hop with electronic beats and proves an astounding representation of Andersen's cuts.

Dixon's three-track mix for Riccardo Tisci's 2016 and 2017 collections was an intriguingly dissonant and experimental choice. The producer used tracks from Little Dragon, The Golden Filter and Ricardo Tobar to fill the bright mauve runway. Some areas are bouncy and reminiscent of 1980s synth tunes, while other portions are constructed of deep bass and enticing snare drums.

Experimental electronic producer Jamie XX specially composed a mix for Kenzo’s FW13 runway showcase. The instrumental production was just 10 minutes, but offered a composition emotionally driving and powerful. Jamie brought on elements of jazz and groove, tribal, soul and house for the Florence fashion show.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke debuted his eight-minute production ‘Villain’ on Rag & Bone's AW13 runway during New York Fashion Week. The composition was performed live during the showcase with 12 members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Yorke introduces the piece with a dark, blissfully dissonant piano solo before welcoming the haunting chimes of live singers. 'Villain' is an ethereal, slowly expanding melody that quickly morphs from spine-chilling waves to rattling metallic chords.

Kingdom brought the big guns out for Opening Ceremony’s SS16 runway, opening with a thundering violin ballad that quickly jumps into a clamoring score of dramatic orchestra and bouncing R&B trap-style progressions. The UK producer included tracks from Helix, Kalela and Vjuan Allure for the eclectic piece that pushes and pulls its audience in sharp, energetic directions.

LCD Soundsystem’s iconic lead James Murphy composed a special five-minute track for The Ermenegildo Zegna Couture SS15 fashion show. The runway showcase was produced into a special short film by Johan Soderberg with creative direction from Stefano Pilati, who enlisted Murphy for the exclusive arrangement. The electronic composer issued a piece perfectly complementary to the designer’s spectacle. Zegna tested the boundaries of structure and silhouettes while Murphy offers a titillating chord progression and saxophone, followed by flowing light jazz rhythms and echoing vocals.

[Featured Photo: Vogue]

Sydney is Mixmag's US Digital Content Editor. Follow her on Twitter here