NY Fashion Week Series - Seven Art and Fashion Collaborations that Rock
Nicholas Kirkwood did the most amazing collaboration with the estate of Keith Haring. All of the shoes in this collection sold out so quickly. I'm wearing the pumps that have the radiant child and the red heel.
Art and fashion collaborations are quite common these days. However, only a few really stand out, and when the original vision of the artist and the fashion designer truly merge and amalgamate, the results are mind blowing. It doesn't matter if the price point is high, mid, or low, what matters is how well the two perspectives mingle. Recently, I was thrilled to have been able to channel a cool collaboration, which I documented here. Below are some of my all-time favorite art-fashion collaborations and I'm even lucky to have gotten a piece or two.
Nicolas Kirkwood and The Keith Haring Foundation
Nicholas Kirkwood's shoes are by and in itself art pieces. I was absolutely stunned by how beautifully he translated Keith's aesthetic into his magnificent creations. I still think these shoes are museum-worthy pieces and I was desperately trying to find a pair until I got one.
Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali
Elsa Schiaparelli was way ahead of her time and so was Salvador Dali. Their collaboration, which happened in the mid 1930s and 40s was a perfect marriage of the surrealism that captivated Schiaparelli and that Dali masterfully captured in his work. The pieces of the Schiaparelli-Dali collaboration have been exhibited in museums all over the world and featured in art history books. Some of the original pieces can still be purchased and 1stDibs has an interesting selection of them.
Marilyn Minter and Intermix
What’s not to love here? At $48, this tote was the talk-of-the-town in 2009 and it was designed showing a still of Minter’s Green Pink Caviar film. I was able to get my hands around one and still wear it from time to time. It’s a big conversation piece and portable piece of art.
Cindy Sherman and Comme des Garçons
This collaboration had no specific products to sell, but the ad campaign which was completely ahead of its time, was sufficiently smart to get enormous attention. In 1994, Cindy and Japanese fashion designer, Rei Kawakubo, then head of Comme des Garçons, conceived these images in a way that challenges what consumers are used to seeing in the pages of glossy magazines. Totally avant garde back then and so au courant even now.
Diane von Furstenberg and The Andy Warhol Foundation
DVF and Andy were friends and used to hang out in New York City back in the 1970s so it was only natural even after so many years, that this would happen. I love how DVF was able to work with the Andy Warhol Foundation and bring some gorgeous summer dresses, bikinis and a lot of colorful pieces for these 2008 and 2009 resort and spring capsule collections.
Richard Prince and Louis Vuitton
Marc Jacobs is obsessed with contemporary art, but first he had to lose his fear of going to galleries and being intimated by the art crowd. One of the first artists that he started collecting was Richard Prince. I feel that this collaboration marked a very important milestone for art and fashion. The whole concept of the nurses on the runway, the special designs that Richard made for the bags and accessories and the deep involvement of both parties created such a confident look and strong perspective. My favorite from that collection is the speedy bag with python details and Richard’s jokes printed all over. Brilliant.
Mickalene Thomas and Nancy Gonzalez
This one-off between the super talented Mickalene Thomas (one of my favorite artists) and the extraordinary handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez is simply priceless. The flowers, which are a recurrent theme in Mickalene’s paintings and photographs, are reminiscent of those in Mickalene’s grandmother’s couch in her house in the 1970s.