Experimental or unconventional design that challenges established styles or ways of making things.
In French, avant-garde is first a military word: the part of an army that moves ahead of the main body to gather information and protect it. Figuratively it names a group or movement that innovates in ideas, the arts, science or technique, and d’avant-garde describes work that breaks with tradition. English uses avant-garde above all as an adjective, for preferring or introducing new and very modern ideas and methods.
The everyday French phrase is être à l’avant-garde de, to be at the forefront of something or a precursor of it. Because the word describes a relation to tradition, it names no technique, material or garment type, and on its own it says nothing about how a piece is cut or made.
In job listings
In luxury listings, avant-garde usually appears in the description of a house’s design position, at fashion, beauty and watch houses, rather than as a skill asked of the candidate. Boutique, sales and make-up roles use it for the image a team represents. See current roles mentioning avant-garde.
