New York artists are working with fashion houses and designers to create wearable and collectible clothing using everything from graffiti to blood.
For decades, artists have profitably and pleasurably collaborated with fashion Designer Portrait. Dal worked with Elsa Schiaparelli, and Warhol worked with Yves St. Laurent. Today, numerous A-list artists collaborate with Louis Vuitton and Vanessa Beecroft, Helmut Lang and Mondrian, Gavin Turk, and Hussein Chalayan.
Even up-and-coming artists are currently working hard to collaborate with the fashion industry, not only to explore new creative frontiers but also to give themselves a little more power and exposure in the digital era.
Instagram and other visual apps have piqued the interest of a new generation of art collectors, who have become hooked by purchasing affordable, accessible, and wearable art.
Each of the six artists whose work is profiled below approaches menswear in a completely different way, but they have all expertly transferred their ideas from canvas to garment.
Jon Burgerman, 36, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Jon Burgerman is no stranger to deviating from the norm. For years, products, both mass-produced and hand-made, have been part of his loose doodle-style repertoire, helping to build his global fan base. Because of the strong graphic nature of his work, it is easy to translate to clothing, which has inspired the artist to create a collection of kids clothes with Print All Over Me, an upholstery fabric venture with Kirkby, and other projects with brands such as Nike, Puma, RipCurl, New Era, and Diesel.
In addition, he has collaborated with small designers on special, hand-made projects such as sequined cashmere cardigans and huge embroidered scarves featuring his loopy, messy, smile-inducing characters.
According to Burgerman, “Seeing someone wear a piece of my clothing is in some ways better than having a collector purchase a painting.” “By wearing your creations out in public, they are really representing you. It turns into a second skin for them. With art, you occasionally get the feeling that people are buying it to resell.
If they wear a jacket or a pair of sneakers, that means that we are closely collaborating. When worn, the piece is only complete and has a very special quality.
Eric Helvie, 32, East Village, Manhattan
Hermes cotton pants, Hermes reversible print jacket, Eric Helvie custom t-shirt, and Birkenstock leather sandals are all items of clothing that Eric Helvie is sporting.
Eric Helvie stepped into the world of wearable fashion out of necessity: He began screen printing his work onto T-shirts to pay his rent shortly after moving to New York City in 2010. He then concentrated on painting, but his interest in fashion returned when he began stretching Snuggies—the kitschy oversized robes made famous by infomercials—as canvases, their massive sleeves drooping across the picture plane. His Snuggies are now handcrafted by the artist’s wife, who embroiders an edition number on the sleeve. Helvie prints limited editions of his most iconic imagery, such as Cyclops and battleships, on the pieces, which can then be worn as drapey robes or hung on the wall with grommets.
Helvie claims that “creating fashion objects has clearly helped me understand objects as vehicles for desire.” No matter how difficult a piece of art is, it must still have some sort of redeeming quality.
LILKOOL, 31; born in Brooklyn’s Gowanus
LILKOOL, aka Josh Maupin, got his start as a graffiti artist, where he honed his soft, cartoony style with bold lines. It also inspired him to paint whatever he could get his hands on. This led to a collaboration in 2014 with the Hong Kong-based brand Joyce, for whom he hand-painted 120 pieces of clothing, which sold out almost immediately.
He has since made the decision to work with a fashion designer at least once a year. LILKOOL’s approach to creating art for clothing involves trading his emotional process in painting for a more technical consideration of the garment’s structure and function. The folds and movement of the fabric inspire the placement of his preferred thick lines, which develop into characters and shapes, adding a new layer of complexity.
