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The Power Of Creative Collaboration
Words Shemaiah Gold
For many creatives, the lockdown period would have proven to be difficult, especially for those that have spent years freelancing. For some, the hunger to keep up to date with the latest trends, auctions or Tik Tok videos has increased whilst others have found moments of new artistic ways to enjoy their living space and continue to generate new ideas by speaking to other creative minds virtually. I'm sure many of you are reminiscing on the times you would connect with new faces on industry jobs or meetings whether it be at London Fashion Week or Frieze Art Fair.
The good news is, if you're a creative/artist, there is no better time than now to collaborate with other creatives across different mediums. Of course, sharing your story through your own collection as an Artist is what will continue to take centre stage but there are just times that the combination of one voice coming together with another increases the volume majorly. Often, the collective brainstorming, then fusion of innovation and conceptual ideas produce something that shake up more than one industry and creates a completely new perspective. We can never forget about the collaboration between the extraordinaire Alexander Mcqueen and art rebel Damien Hirst to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand's iconic skull print scarf, it was refreshing, sensational and expanded the minds of the multitude.
I can't emphasise the importance of unity amongst creatives enough and how much the different industries depend on each other for new ideas, everyone is looking for something they haven't seen before. More than collaborating to gain exposure or to build reputation, we see the effectiveness of building on new relationships and the beauty of creative experts from different mediums creating new experiences for their audience.
Although, this hasn't exactly been the first time we've seen art and fashion come together in such a way. For a long time Art and Fashion have been intertwined, we witnessed Salvador Dali's 'Lobster Telephone' inspiring Elsa Schiaparelli's 'Lobster Dress', a white organza evening gown emblazoned with a scarlet red crustacean. Yves Saint Laurent also frequently sought inspiration from the art world with his A - line dresses using reproductions of modernist paintings by Piet Mondrian in the 1960s and a couture collection inspired by the works of Henri Matisse in the 1980s.
Jazz Grant Studio x Burberry
Some of our favourite collaborations so far this year have been Burberry's street art collaboration with artist Jazz Grant for a Marcus Rashford memorial. The luxury British house Burberry enlisted Jazz Grant for a mural of the football icon in his hometown - Manchester United. The artwork itself is beautiful , but it's also wonderful to see how people in the community and young people globally responded to it. Young people felt motivated and families were delighted to be a part of the art experience by seeing it in their community. The mural overlays childhood images with Rashford's Burberry campaign and the main idea is to empower the future generation by creating something uplifting, positive and dynamic with a sense of community whilst supporting the youth.
Dries Van Noten x Adam Tullie
In Dries Van Noten's own words 'Very few people work in solitude' when he spoke about his collaboration with LA based Artist Adam Tullie. His collections have a reputation amongst those that take a lot of inspiration from contemporary artists with his use of colours, pattern and embroidery accompanied by the environment they are sold in. What makes the collaboration exciting are the stores that feature vibrant artworks which have made shopping much more interesting for many of his customers. It was last spring, just as the lockdown was going into effect that Dries Van Noten opened a store on LA's La Cienega Boulevard. Over FaceTime, Adam Tullie and Dries Van Noten exchanged ideas and came up with an artistic concept fitting for the shop's main room. Many of the pieces were inspired by the street art, 'graffiti type' pieces with art being directly on the wall, being part of the building rather than pieces that can be commercialised or sold.
FKA Twigs x Tate Modern
Whilst Museums around the world are closed and still no opening date in sight it leaves room for more empty creative spaces to be used for filming purposes. Film makers have more opportunity to make the most out of spaces that would otherwise be occupied by visitors. The Tate Modern, one of the most renowned gallery spaces in the world has been closed but still open for collaborations with artists, dancers or film makers who have been keen to use the space. Recently, FKA Twigs released a video co-directed with Emmanuel Adjei, to accompany her new single 'Don't Judge Me' which was another collaboration with UK artist Headie One. It was beautiful to see the work by Kara Walker 'Fons Americanus' featured , a Hyundai commission which was revealed as the dancers elaborately performed around the sculpture in one of the main spaces at the Tate. The 13-metre-tall fountain Walker has been described as an ‘allegory of the Black Atlantic’ and was installed in the Tate’s Turbine Hall in 2019 when it sparked controversy as it pays homage to various historical figures and notable works from art history and touches on the British Slave Trade. Not only can we see the expression of different artists in the song but all elements working together to convey a strong message.
Kanye West x James Turrell
Kanye and James Turrell's bond is not new to the creative world but we can see how the relationship has grown stronger as Kanye continues to get more inspired by artist James Turrell's work. Kanye has said before that he wanted to live inside a James Turrell artwork 'We need to live in a Turrell'. The relationship was kindled deeper when Kanye donated $10 million to fund the completion of Turrell's 2019 project 'Roden Crater'. The relationship goes beyond creating art that 'looks' visually satisfying and has evolved to providing potential solutions for the homeless and low income households as well as inspiring beyond the norm. Although some may see Kanye as solely a musician/producer, he believes his work is much more, in his own words 'Everything I have ever produced is an art piece because I am an artist.' James Turrell is also the Artist behind Kanye's amazing sets for his Sunday church services.
Louis Vuitton x Urs Fischer
This collection marks the second time conceptual artist Urs Fischer has collaborated with Louis Vuitton. The new collection is playful, fun and includes a re-imagination of the iconic Louis V monogram, distorting pop culture images and everyday objects. Swiss-born artist Urs Fischeris known for his playful and irreverent artwork, and in this capsule he re-imagines the LV Monogram in his own quirky handwriting. The velvet pattern jumps off the ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories, mixing heritage with the fun Fischer brings to all his endeavors.