ARTIST FEATURE: JOSÉ DURÁN

José Durán in his Bronx studio, wearing his own designs, in front of Charo, 2026. Photograph by Jonathan Carela.

José Durán arrived in New York from Moca in 1995, at sixteen. He grew up in a Bronx apartment where his mother covered the beds in faux satin and hung the windows with opulent curtains, so the rooms would suggest a baroque salon. Elena was a hairstylist who worked from home, and there were women in and out all day. The draping was for her, for her family, and for the women who came through.

Thirty years later, Durán has woven something taller than he is out of cut elastic bands, shaped like a body lying down. It is called Charo, and he made it after his friend Miguel died of AIDS, on the model of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The shape is deliberate. “Under a sheet, a cover, a duvet,” he says. “Protecting the body.”

Nearly everything else he has made falls between those two acts. His first solo exhibition, curated by Orlando Isaac in Santo Domingo in 2023, was called Duvet. It contained his first textile: a pair of carved wooden legs lying on a plinth, the body above the waist covered by a length of woven black and white cloth. Among the paintings was one named for Dédée Bazile, the Haitian woman who gathered the dismembered remains of Jean-Jacques Dessalines from the street in 1806 and took them for burial. When Durán’s research into cotton led him to the Indian textiles traded for enslaved people on the West African coast, he responded by building tents for public space and wrapping a found chair in fabric. He has been doing versions of the same thing for as long as he has been painting, and what interests him is what a covering can do.

He brings three works to The Armory Show, all of them tracing back to one woman. In seventeenth-century Cartagena, one of the largest slave ports in the Americas, Paula de Eguiluz was the healer people came to. Born enslaved, free by her thirties, she sold remedies and love magic to the white women of the city, and the Bishop of Cartagena eventually became one of her patients. The Inquisition tried her three times for witchcraft, had her whipped, and sentenced her to death, a sentence the Inquisition’s council in Madrid overruled.

Durán painted Paula herself in 2023, and Ana and Juana take the names of her two sisters. The third work reaches Paula through the plants. She was a healer, and her knowledge of them became part of the record against her. Sábila is the Caribbean word for aloe vera.

Everything known about the two sisters comes from a single moment in Paula’s trial, when the tribunal asked her, as it asked every prisoner, to name her family. She said she had two sisters in Santo Domingo: Ana, who was free, and Juana, who belonged to a man called Antonio de Jaques. Nothing else about either of them was written down. Durán has given them a room to rest in.

Both women recline. At eight and a half feet tall, Ana is a rococo drawing room, a wedge of acid green driven down one side of the coffered ceiling, the mismatched checkerboard floor and every other surface built from short loaded strokes laid side by side, closer to mosaic than to brushwork. Ana herself is on a blue sofa in a patterned robe, plants at her shoulder, entirely at rest. Juana is the wider of the two, a glasshouse under an iron dome, agave throwing red flower spikes toward the glass, a tiger skin open-jawed on the floor by her daybed. Juana was the sister who was owned, and Durán has put her inside a building designed to hold displaced tropical plants alive in captivity. He says that was deliberate.

Sábila does the same thing with one plant. Across three sheets of deckled paper the aloe hangs from a bare branch, its leaves falling while the flower stems climb, orange spikes against a wash that shifts from coral at the foot to cold green at the top. The lowest sheet is all undergrowth, dry twigs and small bright scrub, a hummingbird at the edge of it. Aloe crossed the Atlantic with the people who knew how to use it. Durán uses it on himself for asthma, and has since childhood. He describes the three panels as ancestor, self and descendant.

The reclining posture is Elena’s, and so is the cigarette. He remembers his mother on the bed, smoking, receiving friends, and his 2024 exhibition at James Fuentes took her name. He puts nearly every woman he paints in the same position. The rooms come from her too. Durán builds his interiors out of Renaissance architecture and the décor of Black and Latino New York in the 1980s and 90s, which is what his mother was doing in the Bronx with faux satin and opulent curtains.

Until Elena died, he had never painted. His adult life had been fashion, then Taipei, where he learned Mandarin and took an MBA, with the plant research running underneath all of it. He picked up a brush to keep his mother present, working her image into his earliest canvases. Everything since is a version of that, including the three works he is taking to the Javits Center.

This is Durán’s first art fair, and for him it stands in for a Bryant Park runway he never got. He is presented at The Armory Show by Heliconia Projects, Santo Domingo, in Focus, the section curated by María Elena Ortiz of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, which this year centers artists working across the Caribbean and its diasporas. The fair runs September 24 to 27, 2026 at the Javits Center, New York, with an invitation-only preview on Thursday and public days Friday through Sunday. Durán has shown solo at Centro Cultural de España in Santo Domingo, Good Children in New Orleans, and James Fuentes and Hannah Traore in New York.

Juana, 2026. Acrylic on linen, 60 × 80 in. Photograph by Jonathan Carela.

JOSÉ DURÁN IN CONVERSATION

Interview by Marc Sifuentes

The Armory Show marks an important moment in your development as an artist. What does participating in the fair mean to you?

What makes this experience especially meaningful is this year’s focus on the Caribbean and its diaspora, curated by María Elena Ortiz. My Caribbean background is deeply connected to my identity and to the inspiration behind my work. I explore history, migration, culture, memory, identity, and the ways Caribbean people have shaped and reimagined their lives across different places. To see these conversations taking place within such an important international art fair makes the experience feel very personal.

I also see this moment as an opportunity to show that Caribbean art is not confined to one visual language or history. My work moves between textiles, sculpture, painting, fashion, and research, reflecting the complexity and hybridity of the Caribbean experience.

For me, The Armory Show is not simply about reaching a larger audience. It is about entering a larger conversation and seeing how my own experiences, research, and imagination can contribute to the evolving story of Caribbean and diasporic art.

This is my first time participating in an art fair. When I first entered the art world, The Armory Show felt like something very far away, a goal I hoped I would one day reach.

In many ways, it reminds me of what it felt like to dream of showing a fashion collection during New York Fashion Week in Bryant Park, when the shows were held there. As a fashion designer, that was a dream I always hoped to accomplish but never had the opportunity to experience. Being here now, as an artist, feels like a full-circle moment in my creative journey. It feels as though one of those dreams I carried with me from my years in fashion has finally found its way into another chapter of my life through my art.

As my practice has developed, I have become more confident in my voice and in the importance of the stories I am trying to tell through my work. Being able to bring those stories to an international audience makes this experience particularly meaningful.

The three works you are presenting, Ana, Juana, and Sábila, are connected through ideas of healing, ancestral knowledge, memory, and the resilience of African and Afro-Caribbean women. Can you tell us about that connection?

The three works I am presenting at The Armory Show are connected through my exploration of healing, ancestral knowledge, memory, and the resilience of African and Afro-Caribbean women. Each work looks at the ways knowledge of plants, medicine, spirituality, and care has been passed from one generation to another, despite histories of displacement, colonialism, and the suppression of Indigenous and African-descended knowledge.

The paintings of Ana and Juana are inspired by the two sisters of Paula de Eguiluz. Ana was a free Black woman. Juana was enslaved by Antonio de Jaques. Both were born in Hispaniola, and both are connected to the same healing traditions Paula practiced. Rather than representing these women through the colonial narratives that attempted to define or criminalize them, I am interested in reclaiming their intelligence, strength, and relationship to the natural world. I place them within imagined environments filled with medicinal and botanical plants, creating spaces where they can exist with dignity, knowledge, and power.

I also use my imagination to create the work. I am sure that Paula de Eguiluz’s mother was also a healer, and that she taught her daughters her practice. On a research trip in Nigeria I sat with healers and asked them questions, and they had learned their practice from their families.

Sábila brings this historical research into a more personal and contemporary space. Aloe vera becomes a bridge between ancestral knowledge and my own lived experience. I have used aloe vera since childhood as part of my experience with asthma, so the plant carries a deeply personal meaning of healing and survival for me.

Together, these works create a conversation between past and present, ancestor and descendant, collective memory and personal experience. They ask us to consider whose knowledge is remembered, whose knowledge has been erased, and how healing traditions continue to survive through us.

Ana, 2026. Acrylic on canvas, 103.5 × 65.5 in. Photograph by Jonathan Carela.

When you look at these works alongside your earlier paintings, what do you recognize as continuous in your practice, and what feels genuinely new?

When I look at these works alongside my earlier paintings and even my work as a designer, I recognize that the research process has remained very consistent. From the beginning, I have always been curious and interested in looking deeper into ideas, histories, people, and experiences that have had an impact on me, my country, my culture, and the world around me. I am constantly researching, imagining, and asking myself how I can translate those ideas into a visual language.

What has genuinely changed is my understanding of what the work can do for me personally. When I first began painting, one of the main reasons was to find a way to process the loss of my mother. Painting her image in some of my earliest works became a way of connecting with her, keeping her present, and trying to understand something I could not fully understand at the time, her passing.

Creating art as a form of healing is relatively new for me. I have always used art to investigate history and culture, but I am now recognizing that the process can also help me understand my own experiences. In that sense, the work has become both research and a personal form of healing.

Your transition from fashion into visual art happened relatively late compared with the conventional trajectory of an artist. Did you experience that transition as a reinvention, or did you eventually realize that you had been building the same practice all along?

For me, the transition from fashion into visual art was definitely a reinvention. When I left fashion, I did not immediately know that I was going to become an artist. I moved to Taipei, learned Mandarin, and pursued an MBA. My original plan was actually to return to fashion.

When I came back to New York, the pandemic happened shortly afterward, and everything changed. But even before the pandemic, I had already started thinking about creating art. I had never painted before, so there was no conventional path or training behind it. During the pandemic, I began teaching myself how to paint, experimenting and learning through the process.

Looking back, I don’t necessarily think I was secretly building the same practice all along. I really did have to reinvent myself. But I also began to recognize that the skills and experiences I had developed through fashion, my understanding of materials, construction, color, composition, textiles, the body, and creating environments, were already part of the way I thought.

So the transition was a reinvention, but it wasn’t a complete departure. I brought everything I had learned with me. Fashion gave me a foundation, Taipei expanded my worldview, and teaching myself to paint gave me the freedom to discover what could come next.

I think that is still how I work today: I allow each chapter of my life to become material for the next one.

What did fashion teach you about art that you still use every day in the studio?

Always experiment, never be afraid of colors, and don’t follow any rules.

Your practice moves between painting, sculpture, furniture, fashion, and textiles. Do you ultimately think of these as separate practices, or as different manifestations of the same artistic language?

I see them as one artistic practice expressed through different mediums. Painting, sculpture, furniture, and fashion are different tools I use to explore the same ideas, beginning with research, curiosity, and personal experiences.

I let the idea determine the medium it needs to become, whether a painting, sculpture, textile, piece of furniture, or something wearable. Each medium allows me to explore different aspects of my creativity, while moving between them keeps my practice evolving.

Ultimately, I see myself as one artist with one evolving language expressed through different materials and forms.

Textiles have always been part of your creative language through fashion, but they have taken on a different meaning in your recent work. What brought you back to them, and how do you think about them now, as painting, sculpture, garment, architecture, or something else?

Textiles have always been part of my creative language, especially through my years as a fashion designer, but I returned to them at this moment for a much more personal reason. I wanted to create something that could physically express the ideas of protection, love, and remembrance.

The loss of friends to HIV/AIDS brought me back to the intimacy of fabric and the idea of a covering, something that can hold, comfort, and protect. Using woven elastics, canvas, and textiles from Dakar, Senegal, I wanted the material itself to become part of the memorial.

For me, returning to textiles has also been a way of returning to something familiar but seeing it differently. Fashion taught me how to construct with fabric, but now I am using textiles to explore grief, memory, healing, and love. This work has allowed me to understand that materials can carry not only physical form, but also emotion and history.

I think of the textile as something that exists outside those categories. It can be painting, sculpture, architecture, or even a garment, depending on how I use it. The scale gives the material an architectural presence, while the patterns, colors, and textures connect it to painting, and the physicality of the construction brings it into the language of sculpture. What I am really interested in is the ability of fabric to transform space and create a physical experience for the viewer.

You have researched the historical relationship between textiles and the transatlantic slave trade. Can fabric function as a form of historical archive? What can it preserve that written records cannot?

For me, discovering this history completely changed the way I look at textiles. We often associate fabric with beauty, fashion, domestic life, comfort, and cultural identity, but textiles also carry histories of labor, exploitation, migration, trade, and power. Learning that Indian cotton textiles were deeply connected to the networks that supported the transatlantic slave trade made me think about how an object can carry many histories at the same time.

So yes, absolutely. I believe textiles can function as a form of historical archive because they can preserve stories in ways that traditional historical records often cannot. A document can tell us what happened, but a textile can tell us how something felt, how people lived, what they valued, what they wore, how they cared for one another, and how they carried their culture from one place to another.

Fabric can preserve personal and collective memories through patterns, colors, techniques, repairs, stains, embroidery, and the hands that made and used it. These details can reveal histories that may never have been written down, particularly the experiences of women, enslaved people, migrants, and communities whose voices were often excluded from official records.

This is one of the reasons textiles are so important to my practice. I am interested in what fabric can remember. When I work with textiles, I am not only thinking about their physical qualities; I am thinking about the people, journeys, and histories embedded in them.

For me, a textile can become an archive that is alive. It can be touched, transformed, carried, worn, inherited, and reinterpreted. It allows history to exist not only as information, but as something emotional, physical, and deeply human.

Your recent textile work is connected to friends you lost to HIV/AIDS and to the AIDS Memorial Quilt. How does physically constructing something to remember or protect another person change the meaning of the work for you?

Physically constructing something to remember or protect another person changes the meaning of the work for me because the act of making becomes an act of care. Every movement, every woven elastic, and every piece of textile becomes part of the process of remembering. I am not simply creating an image about loss; I am physically spending time with that memory.

The work was created in response to losing close friends to HIV/AIDS, particularly Miguel. The idea of creating a covering came naturally to me because a covering can represent protection, comfort, and love.

At the funeral, his mother pulled me aside. We were both looking at him in the casket. She told me he had been waiting for me at the hospital, that he wanted to see me. I could not make it on time. I will never forget that.

This textile piece was created for him, to cover him and protect him.

I think about the people I lost as people who deserve to be held and remembered, not defined only by how they died.

The connection to the AIDS Memorial Quilt is important because it transforms individual loss into collective remembrance. My work continues that idea, but through my own personal experience and material language.

In making the piece, grief becomes something I can physically work through. The textile becomes a memorial, but it also becomes a form of healing for me. I am creating something that symbolically continues to hold and protect the people I can no longer physically protect.

Charo, 2026. Elastics, textile, canvas and acrylic, 110 × 60 in. To be shown in the exhibition of GLAAD’s third Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative cohort, advised by Mickalene Thomas. Photograph by Jonathan Carela.

Your first solo exhibition was called Duvet, and it included a painting named for Dédée Bazile, who gathered Dessalines’ body out of the street and buried him when the soldiers who killed him had dared anyone to try. You have made tents for public space, wrapped a found chair in fabric, and now woven a covering for Miguel. Is covering something you think about deliberately, or is it a thread you only recognize looking back?

Yes. I am always researching powerful women, learning about them and placing them at the forefront of my practice, naming the pieces they inspired me to create so that their names will never be forgotten in history.

With my work I want to protect these women. I paint them in resting poses, in beautiful interiors, always relaxing and most of the time having a cigarette. I see these women as my mother. I see them like my mother: powerful, caregivers, revolutionaries.

And the textile for Miguel, yes. Under a sheet, a cover, a duvet, protecting the body.

Black women have been central to much of your earlier work and to your understanding of beauty, labor, aspiration, and history. How has your thinking about the Black feminine changed as your practice has expanded into textiles, sculpture, and more abstract forms?

My thinking about the Black feminine has changed as my practice has expanded. Earlier in my work, I was very focused on representation, placing Black women into spaces that were never intended for them, and allowing them to occupy spaces of beauty, luxury, power, and aspiration.

I wanted to create the images I rarely saw: Black women not as subjects defined by struggle, but as people who could simply exist, rest, dream, and take up space.

As I moved into textiles and sculpture, that idea of representation began to evolve into something more physical and intimate. I became interested not only in placing Black women within these spaces, but in creating things that could hold, cover, shelter, and protect them.

Textile became particularly meaningful because of its relationship to the body and to acts of care. A blanket, a covering, or a shelter can communicate protection in a way that an image alone cannot.

My work has therefore moved from asking, “How do I represent Black women?” to asking, “How can I create a space or object that cares for them?”

The materials allow me to explore beauty, labor, history, vulnerability, and protection simultaneously. I think of the work as creating a world in which Black women are not only seen, but held.

Nearly every painting you make carries a woman’s name. Glenda, Gloria, Nanny Queen, Marie Kingue, Rosa Elegni, Mama Eddy, Elena, and now Ana and Juana. Where do the names come from?

The names come from women I admire, sometimes friends and sometimes important Black Caribbean women. My last two works, Ana and Juana, were the names of Paula de Eguiluz’s sisters.

Sábila, 2026. Triptych, gouache, acrylic and watercolor on paper, 90 × 22 in. Photograph by Jonathan Carela.

You have maintained long relationships with artists including Mickalene Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, and Derrick Adams, dating back to your years in fashion, and you began painting after spending time at Black Rock, the residency Wiley founded in Dakar. What did those relationships, and that time in Senegal, teach you that formal art education could not?

I met Mickalene Thomas, Kehinde Wiley, and Derrick Adams when I was in fashion school, at a time when I was still thinking of myself primarily through fashion. Kehinde was especially important in introducing me to the art world around 2004 and helping me understand that there was a place for me within it.

Those relationships have influenced me far beyond the creative side of my practice. They have also been important in my personal life and have taught me the value of community, mentorship, curiosity, and continuing to learn.

Through them, I learned that being a great artist is not simply about having talent or making objects. It is about being deeply engaged with the world around you.

They taught me the importance of research, of understanding history, asking questions, looking beyond what is immediately visible, and knowing where your ideas come from. They also showed me the importance of education as something that never really ends. You continue learning from artists, museums, books, conversations, travel, and from the people around you.

Most importantly, those relationships taught me that you do not have to build an artistic life alone. Community can challenge you, educate you, inspire you, and help you see possibilities in yourself that you might not have recognized yet. That has become an important part of how I approach my own practice today.

When I travel to Senegal I buy textiles. I am connecting the transatlantic textile trade with my own textile practice.

What are you investigating now that you could not have investigated five or ten years ago?

I have been researching plants for about fifteen years. I was investigating plants for medicinal purposes while I was in Taipei, and even before Taiwan. But what I am investigating now is something I could not have understood five or ten years ago: the use of plants as sources of medicinal knowledge, healing, and love-attraction practices, and the cultural histories carried through that knowledge.

Traveling to Cartagena, the Dominican Republic, Senegal, and Nigeria and speaking with healers about the ways plants are used was a magical investigation for me. I was not simply researching plants as botanical objects; I was learning about the knowledge, rituals, beliefs, and histories connected to them, and how that knowledge has been passed from one generation to another.

These conversations made me think differently about the relationship between nature, the body, spirituality, and cultural memory. They also made me more aware of how much knowledge exists outside of formal institutions and how easily that knowledge can be overlooked or lost.

This research is now entering my visual practice through painting and textiles. I am interested in plants as vessels for memory and as witnesses to migration, colonialism, healing, desire, and survival.

What began as research has become a way for me to reconnect with histories and forms of knowledge that feel both deeply personal and much larger than myself.

When someone encounters your work without knowing your biography, what do you hope they understand through the work itself?

Before someone knows anything about me or my biography, I hope they can feel my respect for beauty and for women through the work itself. I want the viewer to sense that the women I portray are being honored, celebrated, and given space to exist with strength, dignity, and beauty.

I also hope they recognize my love for detail, color, materials, and the environments I create. I want the work to invite people into a world that feels both familiar and imagined, a place where beauty can coexist with history, memory, and cultural identity.

Ultimately, I hope the work communicates a sense of admiration, care, and respect.

José Durán in his studio, the Bronx, New York, 2026. Photograph by Jonathan Carela.

JEAN LOUIS: HOLLYWOOD’S BOMBSHELL DESIGNER

There are certain images that seem to belong to everyone.

Rita Hayworth in Gilda, framed in black satin. Marilyn Monroe, shimmering in crystals beneath the lights of Madison Square Garden. Marlene Dietrich onstage in soufflé silk, beaded to look like nothing at all. These images have been reproduced, referenced and reimagined so many times that they can feel as though they have always existed.

Behind them was a designer whose name is far less familiar than the women he dressed: Jean Louis.

Born Jean Louis Berthault in Paris and trained in couture, he brought a remarkable understanding of construction and silhouette to Hollywood. He spent seven years at Hattie Carnegie in New York before moving to California, where he became head designer at Columbia Pictures in 1944, remaining there for roughly fifteen years. Over the course of his career he worked on 188 films and won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956). For most of that time he was a studio employee, producing at a rate no couturier would recognize.

The seemingly effortless black satin gown in Gilda was built around a molded plastic structure that allowed Hayworth to move and perform. For Salome, he created a flesh-toned body suit that allowed her to appear nude beneath layers of veils. And for Marilyn Monroe’s famous 1962 performance, thousands of crystals were sewn onto silk dyed to her exact skin tone. She stood while the dress was sewn onto her body.

Long before “naked dressing” became a familiar fashion trope, Jean Louis was finding ways to make the suggestion of nudity more powerful than nudity itself.

He was working inside two sets of constraints, and only one of them was professional.

Jean Louis was a gay man working in Hollywood at a time when his private life required discretion, while his professional life involved creating some of the most potent images of female sexuality in American cinema. He worked within the restrictions of the studio system and the Production Code, finding ways to suggest what could not always be shown.

There is something fascinating in that tension: a designer whose own identity had to remain partially concealed became a master of revealing and concealing the identities of others.

The women he dressed were collaborators, not mannequins. Doris Day turned down a design because she did not recognize herself in it. Loretta Young learned to tell him not what she wanted to wear but how she wanted to feel. Both were doing the same thing, and he was listening: a woman asking for a dress is usually asking for something harder to name.

That complexity drew brothers Roger and Mauricio Padilha to Jean Louis. The Padilhas have spent their careers on artists whose influence outlived their names, including Stephen Sprouse, Antonio Lopez, Richard Bernstein and Chris von Wangenheim. Their new Rizzoli book, Jean Louis: Hollywood’s Bombshell Designer, with a foreword by Kim Novak, took them through all 188 films, along with sketches, photographs, archives and correspondence.

He was as good as any designer working in America in those years, and better than most of the ones we remember. He built images that could stand without him, and they did.

And decades later, we are still looking.

ROGER & MAURICIO PADILHA

Interview by Marc Sifuentes

The Obsession

You’ve spent much of your career documenting artists whose influence is bigger than their name recognition. What was it about Jean Louis that made you think, there’s a book here?

We thought that it was extraordinary that a designer behind what are arguably the two most famous gowns in history, Hayworth’s Gilda gown and Monroe’s Happy Birthday dress, was so highly referenced in pop culture but remained virtually unknown, while his peers such as Edith Head and Adrian were canonized by the Hollywood history machine. Jean Louis was a truly great designer, but because he worked for Columbia Pictures, which was a lot smaller than the Big Five golden age studios, MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and RKO, his work was featured in films that didn’t have the distribution or budgets to become Hollywood classics.

You watched all 188 films associated with his career. What was that experience actually like? Was there a point when research became obsession?

This was a different research experience than most of our other books. We really had to rely on studying his work, as most of the people who knew him or worked with him are deceased. That said, many of the films he worked on are highly underrated, and we got to watch wonderful films that we normally wouldn’t have, so it was a really fun experience.

When you look at Jean Louis alongside the other major designers working in Hollywood at the time, where do you think he was genuinely different?

We’d argue that JL is the most fashion-based costume designer. He worked at the couture houses at the epicenter of fashion design in Paris before coming to the US and working at Hattie Carnegie, which was one of the most influential ready-to-wear companies at the time. So he came from a fashion background and brought a very different design eye to costumes than his peers.

The Work

The engineering behind some of his clothes is extraordinary: the structure beneath the Gilda gown, the flesh-toned body stocking in Salome, the skin-toned silk and crystals of Marilyn’s famous dress. Was Jean Louis’s genius as much about engineering as it was about design?

One hundred percent. Jean Louis seemed to understand that no matter how fantastic his designs were, if the women wearing them didn’t feel beautiful and secure, the effect would be lost. There is a lot of engineering going on underneath his designs, which are actually much simpler and unadorned than the designs of his peers, because he felt it was more important for the actresses wearing them to feel confident. He was a proponent of that adage that a fashionable woman wears the clothes instead of the clothes wearing her.

He was working under the Production Code, when Hollywood had to suggest sex without necessarily being able to show it. Did the restrictions of the Code push Jean Louis to be more inventive?

Yes. It was such a complicated time in history, as the studio heads and film producers wanted the women onscreen to be highly fetishized, yet the Hays Code limited what could actually be seen. So JL was caught in the middle of these demands and restrictions and had to suggest rather than show. His designs always seem ladylike, but there is always an element of subversiveness behind them that comes through.

The Women

The women Jean Louis dressed weren’t simply passive recipients of his vision. Some trusted him completely, while others pushed back. What did you discover about the relationship between Jean Louis and the women he dressed?

We think that his training in the couture houses of Paris, dressing some of the richest women in the world, really helped him deal with the egos and idiosyncrasies of the Hollywood actresses he would later work with. By all accounts he was the most charming man, and he spent a lot of time with the actresses on the film sets and off, so by the time he had to design the final outfits he had established a rapport and trust with the stars that was invaluable. So much so that when an actress was loaned to another studio to work on a film, many would insist that JL be permitted to work outside of Columbia and design for these outside projects.

Loretta Young once said that she learned never to tell Jean Louis what she wanted to wear, but instead to tell him how she wanted to feel. What does that tell us about the way Jean Louis approached a woman as his client?

Again, this is just further proof that his design philosophy was really rooted in the confidence his designs inspired in the women wearing them. He knew that a woman couldn’t look beautiful if she didn’t feel beautiful.

Doris Day turned down one of his designs because she wasn’t comfortable in it. What happened when a woman told Jean Louis, “That’s not me”?

This was a rare occurrence with JL and his stars, and it usually came about when a star had a very strong established image before working with him, such as Joan Crawford or Doris Day. They would be skeptical when working with a new designer, but he usually won them over. In Day’s case, JL’s work on Pillow Talk transformed her from the girl next door into a modern fashion icon, so whatever misgivings she may have initially had were eclipsed by the career surge that role gave her, and she trusted him implicitly on their next few films together.

Marlene Dietrich was famously exacting about her clothes, yet she developed such a strong creative relationship with Jean Louis. How much of the final image belonged to the woman herself, and how much belonged to Jean Louis?

That collaboration was instrumental to both of them. Dietrich was as much of a fashion designer as she was an actress, and she understood exactly how to project the image of herself she had created. Asking JL to design her cabaret costumes meant that she saw his greatness and thought he understood that image. She was notoriously picky about who she worked with, so working with JL for seventeen years meant something.

The Man Behind the Clothes

You’ve described Jean Louis as having a “subversive edge.” Where do you see that most clearly?

Certainly the dress he designed for Marilyn Monroe’s appearance at JFK’s birthday is the most subversive. A simple sheath designed to make Monroe look naked, in a political arena that would be televised and watched by the entire country, is, in our opinion, the most rebellious statement ever made in fashion history.

Jean Louis was a gay man working in Hollywood at a time when his private life required discretion. How do you think that shaped his experience of Hollywood, both personally and professionally?

We think it enormously shaped his design work. He understood the power of image, of projecting a facade to gain power, and how to use clothing to say the unsaid.

Jean Louis and Loretta Young had been friends and collaborators for decades before they married in 1993, after his wife Maggy died in 1989. What did their relationship tell you about Jean Louis that you couldn’t have learned from the clothes?

That he was fiercely beloved by his friends. Young met JL when he first moved to Hollywood, so their relationship spanned forty years.

Jean Louis married Loretta Young in August 1993. He was 85, she was 80. His wife Maggy, who had died four years earlier, had been Young’s close friend for more than fifty years, and Young had been wearing his clothes since the 1950s, when he made the gowns she swept through the door in each week on television. The marriage surprised almost everyone who knew them. Asked about it by Daily Variety, Young said only that they had known each other for so long, and that when something is right it simply slips into place.

The Images

Let’s talk about Gilda. That black satin gown has become almost bigger than the film itself. After everything you discovered about its construction and the circumstances around it, do you see that image differently now?

That gown is a marvel in restraint and the sexiest non-sexual garment ever made. The pairing of the JL gown with Hayworth’s charisma and the choreography of that scene just came together in such an explosive way that still reads today when you watch it.

The Legacy

The gowns themselves have now developed lives of their own. Marilyn’s dress, for example, sold for $4.8 million in 2016 and was worn by Kim Kardashian on the Met Gala carpet decades after Monroe wore it. What does it do to a designer’s legacy when the garment becomes more famous, and more valuable, than either the film or the man who created it?

It’s such a testament to JL’s work. Of course we understand that a lot of that dress’s value came from being worn by Monroe and the circumstances around it, but many of Monroe’s iconic garments sold for way less, so a lot of its value does come from the design itself. Monroe was redefining her 1950s image at this point and aligning herself with the cultural shift of the 1960s, so that dress works on so many different levels. It’s just genius.

MARCUS MACKEY – SOMEONE ELSE’S LOVER

Lace Top by Alabama Blonde, Pant by Maison Audmi

Talent: Marcus Mackey

Photography: Michelle Gonzales

Styling by: Adrian Joseph & Nathan Sweet

In the ever-evolving realm of music, where talent and authenticity are the currency, one artist is emerging as a captivating force to reckon with. From the City of Angels, where dreams are crafted and destinies sculpted, Marcus Mackey has boldly entered the scene, wielding a mesmerizing blend of beats and emotions.

His latest single, “S.E.L.” – a cryptic abbreviation for “someone else’s lover” – delves into the intricate tapestry of modern relationships and the labyrinthine dynamics of contemporary dating culture. With its irresistible dance groove and profound lyrical depth, this track stands as a testament to Marcus Mackey’s remarkable musical prowess.

But this isn’t just another entry into the annals of pop. It’s a profound exploration of the human heart and its yearning, painted with the strokes of a maestro who draws inspiration from the canvas of his own life. As Marcus himself puts it, “‘Someone Else’s Lover’ takes you on this rollercoaster through today’s dating scene – all those crazy layers and complications. I made ‘S.E.L.’ not to solve the problem, but to at least get you dancing through it.”

Jacket and Pants by Maison Audmi, Lace Shirt by Lamkoko.la

Behind the scenes, the genius of Marcus Mackey is enriched by the collaboration with renowned producer Luke Villemur, a name synonymous with Netflix, Apple TV+, Universal Music Production, and iconic commercials. Together, they’ve honed Mackey’s artistic vision to perfection, a symphony of experiences and influences that has been meticulously crafted to evoke emotions and ignite dance floors.

Born in Bakersfield, California, Mackey’s journey to the epicenter of music in Los Angeles has been nothing short of a destiny fulfilled. His early days were marked by harmonious performances alongside his twin brother, captivating hearts since the tender age of seven. But Marcus Mackey was destined for more than just melodies; he was destined for stardom.

In this exclusive Iris Covet Book feature, we delve into the mind of Marcus Mackey, the alt-pop virtuoso whose trajectory promises to leave an indelible mark on the global music canvas. “S.E.L.” is now unleashed upon the world, a beacon of rhythm and emotion inviting you to immerse yourself in Mackey’s magnetic sound. This is more than music; this is a journey through life’s trials and triumphs, all set to an irresistible beat. Get ready to be entranced by the world of Marcus Mackey, where each note tells a story, and each melody resonates with the soul.

Tank Top by lamkoko.la

Your journey started in Bakersfield, California. How did growing up there shape your musical aspirations and your desire to explore the world?

My hometown is very conservative, and I’m not. I never conformed and that made me stand out, which I honestly loved. I wanted to show everyone that I was going to make it out and become someone in spite of the things everyone was saying or thought about me. I knew I could sing and I knew I could command attention and that made everyone uncomfortable. I thrive off that feeling, I love making people face their darkest insecurities and fears. I knew I needed to make a difference and I knew music would give me the medium.

Tell us more about your bond with your twin brother, Anthony Mackey. How did your shared love for music influence your early years?

My bother and I have an extremely close bond. We discovered and explored music together. We would perform Christmas songs for extended family -on Christmas Eve. I would usually go off singing “Genie in a bottle” or something with a full choreographed dance. We wrote and recorded our first two songs when we were 7, and began making EDM / dubstep tracks on FL studio in 8th grade. We are on different musical paths now but I feel we’ll be working together again soon.

Shirt by Jean Paul, Pants stylists’ own

Five years in Germany must have been a transformative experience. How did immersing yourself in the language and culture there impact your musical style and perspective?

Living in Germany was an Extremely eye opening experience for me. Being abroad with no friends or family in a country where I didn’t speak the language was extremely isolating. I had two choices: sink or swim, and I wasn’t going to sink. I learned to be alone, I learned to be self sufficient, I learned to love life and not take anything for granted. I created experiences there that fueled me creatively, and took the time I had alone to really learn about myself. What came out was a more mature, cultured, and creative version of myself. Now I use those memories to write music.

Coming back to LA, you decided to pursue a music career. Tell us how it all started?

I never stopped writing and singing, but there was actually a moment when I moved back that I thought I wanted to go back to college. I ended a long term relationship and began exploring with sound and writing again and eventually wrote the song that snapped me into it- It showed me “oh, this is what I should be doing”.

Your collaboration with producer Luke Villemur seems to be a turning point. Can you share with us the magic behind your unmatched chemistry and how it led to the creation of your first single, “S.E.L.”?**

Really it was as easy as a meeting, a studio session, and we’ve been working since. S.E.L. was a song I wrote prior to meeting him. I sent him the demo and in a month the song was done. It’s not often that people hit it off right away but that’s really how it was for us.

How would you hope fans feel when playing Someone Else’s Lover for the first time?

I really just want people to sing and dance. The lyrics reflect the confused and complicated feeling you get dating these days where it seems like there are so many hands in the cookie jar. the feeling of not knowing if someone is being authentic or faithful. Everyone deals with this and life is too short not to dance and smile through the bullshit. Thats what this song is intended for.

You speak of your love of pop music and it shows! We’d love to know who are your musical inspirations?

I believe Pop music transcends time and defines culture. Pop music inspires and brings people together- a place for everyone. You think of timeless pop icons like Prince, Madonna, David Bowie, Michael Jackson. They did that. They inspired generations and they all inspire me.

Any dream collaborators you’d like to get work with?

Mark Ronson, if you’re reading this I will clean your bathroom for a month, let’s make a song.

As you continue your musical journey, what can your new found fans and the world expect from Marcus Mackey?

A shit ton of good music.

NFT COLLECTION OF RICHARD BERNSTEIN

The Estate of Richard Bernstein is proud to announce the first series in a new NFT program of rare and extremely collectible artworks by famed Pop Artist Richard Bernstein. In collaboration with digital art platform Culture Vault, Rory Trifon (president of the estate as well as the late artist’s nephew) has selected a small catalogue of digitally created works by Bernstein featuring subject Andy Warhol as well as Bernstein’s iconic 1984 cover of Grace Jones for Interview Magazine. The Richard Bernstein NFT Collection debuts on February 3rd, 2022, at www.culturevault.com.

It is likely that Bernstein would have thoroughly embraced NFTs were he around today as he was the first Pop Artist to use computer-generated graphics in the early 1980s to create fine art. Bernstein was the first to embrace digital technology which enabled him to distort and transform images which would then be combined with hand painting on oversized canvases.

Bernstein, often cited by Andy Warhol as his favorite artist, was commissioned by Warhol to create the iconic celebrity portraits for the covers of his Interview Magazine from 1972 to 1989. The NFT Collection is an opportune venue to celebrate the artist’s professional alliance in a new medium that both Artists would have surely embraced if they were around today.

The first NFT is titled “Andy Warhol with Red Paint” and features an image of a paint splattered Warhol with a yellow box and red paint splatter in 1990. This was Bernstein’s signature digital piece when it debuted at The Cornerstone Galleries in 1992, curated by Joan Quinn. This NFT will be an edition of 1 and will be accompanied with a framed one-off print as well as a copy of Bernstein’s out of print book and access to VIP events.
The second NFT is titled “Warhol Wallpaper” featuring one of Bernstein’s most famous images from 1973. Warhol is depicted as a floating head, varying in size in perspective and painted in his own silkscreen style. This NFT will be an edition of 10, in the varying colors Bernstein mocked up, and each token holder will receive entry to VIP events as well as a copy of Bernstein’s out of print book, MegaStar from 1984.

The third NFT is titled “Grace Jones”. Richard Bernstein’s contribution to iconic performer Grace Jones’ image cannot be overestimated. Designing the art for most of her album covers from the 70s and 80s, Bernstein alternatively played the role of stylist, confidante, and friend. This image, created for Jones’s 1984 cover of Interview Magazine, brilliantly captures the groundbreaking image Bernstein and Jones created together. This will be an edition of 50 and each token holder will gain access to VIP events including a New York print exhibition in May 2022.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT MAURICIO PADILHA Mauricio@MaoPR.com

TÉ TIME WITH ANDREKZA

Bow top by Morphine / Gloves via PR Solo

Photographer: Josef Jasso
Creative Director/Wardrobe Stylist/Interview – Adrian Joseph
Make up: April Nicole
Hair: Jefferson T
Assistant: Danny

Few creatives can simultaneously connect music, visual storytelling, and fashion together much like what is exemplified in ANDREKZA’s evolution. With her definitive style of music which combines the traditional dembow riddim and reggaeton, along with eclectic rhythms found in dancehall, ANDREKZA’S music represents harmonies that have stormed into the music scene with a ravenous and poetic sound.

On the edge of the release of her EP “Cassette: Lado A”, and inspired by the memories of her first cassette player, ANDREKZA unifies her creative experiences through her latest endeavor: “Everything was created through my imagination. From the topics I wanted to touch to the creative direction of the videos. I call this album a mixtape because of the variety of rhythms. I’m a mix of different things, which I wanted to embrace on the album. I don’t want to label myself as just reggaeton or Pop.”

Leading the project is “TÉ,” a playfully light track that showcases her stylistic transitions in melody and lyricism. It’s also the creation that solidified her essence: “It’s one of the songs that left an imprint in my life. When I wrote the song, everything made sense. It all came together; I finally found my style, my sound, and voice.”

As the first Latina signed to Steve Aoki’s new Latin imprint – Dim Mak en Fuego, ANDREKZA keeps one goal in mind. “I hope to encourage people to express themselves through various art forms.”

Dress by Jovana Louis SS21 / Ear Rings- Bitch Fist / Socks – Dolls Kill

Before you were writing songs, you were writing poetry at a very young age in Venezuela. When did you write your first poem, and do you know what inspired you to do so?

I think I was 10 when I wrote my first poem about the moon. I love the moon, I didn’t understand why we could only see it at night until I understood that it was only necessary to look up to the sky to find it, red, gray or gold.

What music was in your house growing up and what impact, if any, do you feel it had on your music today?

Each person in my house had a preferred musical style and genre, but when it came to sharing, we were all DJs for a bit. I think that when you connect with music, it automatically moves your feet, I go into the studio, close my eyes and let myself flow. I always have influences in my heart, but no idea or style that I cling to in particular.

Reggaetón, Salsa, Venezuelan Rap, Rock, Pop, Celia Cruz, Oscar de Leon, la Fania, on the Reggaetón side, Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón, Tres Dueños, Apache, Residente, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Natalia Lafourcade, Jesse & Joy, there are so many.

Crystallized Jacket, ruffle pants by Morphine / Fashion Top – PR Solo / Earrings – Stylist Own

I know you graduated high school at age 15, who did you stan musically when you were a teenager? And are you still a fan of them?

Yes, definitely! When I was 15, I loved Natalia Lafourcade, La Mala Rodríguez and Residente and I still admire them a lot.

Your first EP Cassette – Lado A (Side A) just released with your catchy and infectious first date anthem “TÉ,” the song produced by Orlando Vitto. What makes a good first date for you?

Spontaneity, tea and a good sunset, the most beautiful show in the world and it’s free every day.

I know you probably get this a lot nowadays. What’s your favorite kind of tea?

It really depends on my mood. In the morning I love to have black tea, in the afternoon passion fruit tea, and in the evening green tea with lavender.

Cassette – Lado A features “Nerviosa” which is a track that showcases your versatility as a singer with trap rhymes and melodic verses. You accompanied the song with a video directed by you and Macksimo. What inspired you in the creation of the “Nerviosa” music video and story?

We always wait for a special moment to celebrate, but every day is special. Macksimo and I wanted to celebrate the feelings, the connection between two people, with a “happy non-birthday” party.

Bow skirt by Morphine Pink / Crystal hem jacket by Pink Crystal / Top by PR Solo / Boots by Current Mood Dolls Kill

What would you like people to take away from listening to Cassette – Lado A?

That fear of speaking only takes away the opportunity to know each other and live. Say what you feel and when you feel it. Let’s not have it be a taboo, let’s be emotionally free.

In your recent single “Tuve” ft. Gabriel Garzón-Montano your chemistry is unmatched, and you follow that by being featured in his “Mira my look” remix! How has it been collaborating with the fellow artist?

I’ve never admired an artist’s creative process as much as I do Gabriel’s, I feel very fortunate to be able to share art and love with him, we are working on a very cool project together, which we will soon be able to give more details about!

I know it’s a challenging time but what are you most looking forward to this year?

I’m looking forward to sharing my art, being able to hug each other again, and having people enjoy my full debut Album CASSETTE, which will be available in September!

Dress by Morphine Fashion (Harpers PR)/ Earrings by Bitchfist / Ring – PR Solo

SINGER SONGWRITER PETITE MELLER

Petite Meller is a French singer, songwriter and musician who is favored for the viral music videos that complement her songs. Typically sporting a high-energy brand of pop, artist Petite Meller recently released her new single, “Dying out of Love,” a song from her long awaited and forthcoming second album. This single is different from her usual work in that it’s melancholic and cathartic. A mirror to the tribulations of the year. Iris Covet Book recently had a virtual meet and greet with Petite who was eager to answer our questions.

Interview by Jacquie Trevizo

For those of us that may just have gotten to know you, how did you get started?

I released my first video “NYC Time” on YouTube and funny enough, a manager from the UK found me online while searching what the time was in NY. He then signed me to Island records. My first album, “Lil Empire”, was released with a #1 Radio hit in Europe called “Baby Love”. The video, shot in Kenya, was dedicated to the girls kidnapped by Boko Haraam. It was very much a girl power song with strong visual impact. After those releases, I made a few others including “The Flute,” shot in Mongolia and nominated for the EMA’s and “Barbaric,” shot in Miami. Such has been the impact that iconic artists like Lorde have tweeted about how they love my music. I’ve also received emails from Beyonce’s manager telling me how I’ve inspired her.

Your new music video, “Dying out of Love,” has moments in it that resonate like a performance art piece. What inspired the multiple resting women in your music video?

The video idea was inspired by my friends blog @Present_Passive, who documents what she sees as “Our Resting Era.” I had asked my friends to film themselves in their own room, in a passive posture somewhat like sleeping beauties, looking a little tired leaning against their laptops. It’s the way I feel about our generation right now. Once covid exploded, I started receiving videos with a bigger loneliness vibe. Like the heart quarantined, the longing for a loved one. Holding your hand, sheltering your eyes. I saw a lot of wet eyes on the screen in the editing room. Lior Susana directed me inside a pool as a womb of self birth. A safe place for unconditional love. The result ended up reminding everyone of Nirvana’s album cover “Nevermind,” which is an album I grew up listening to.

What inspirations will we pick up from your new album?

It took me time to experiment and find my new sound. I wanted to combine classical music like Vivaldi and Mahler with electronic Pop sounds. I recorded with The Moscow Royal Symphony to make it cinematic as a soundtrack of life.

I call it Ork-pop.

How is this new album different from your last, “Lil Empire?”

If in “Lil Empire” I was traveling to far away countries inspired by world music like the bongos of Africa and the Mongolian Flute, in this album I am traveling inside myself, writing to uplift my soul and through this hopefully others.

If Lil Empire was inspired by Paul Simon, inspiring this one is Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Tell us a little about your new single, “Dying out of Love.” How did that come to be?

Swedish producer Andreas Söderlund wrote a string piece as a present to his wife for their wedding. He and Erik Arvinder tracked a 40 piece orchestra in the old EMI studio in Stockholm. They then reached out to me to see if it was something I’d be interested in working with. I fell in love with it. I remember my friend once citing for me some verses from the Bible…”Song of Solomon 8:6-7: 6 Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death…” These verses came up for me when I listened to Andreas’s song. The fiercity of love was already inside the notes and the lyrics spelled that out easily.

Tell me more about this dream you have of being a music conductor?

As a little girl I used to dream of conducting a symphony, going to concerts with my parents. I fell in love with the job of the conductor.

The way he moves, his body language, the drama in his hands , the fact that he controls the intensity of all those beautiful instruments playing together, the vibrations that he creates and transmits through his body into the crowd of listeners in the room, seemed to me magical and sublime.

You have an MA in Philosophy from the Sorbonne in Paris. Who is your favorite philosopher and why?

I think Emmanuel Kant is a very relevant philosopher for this time of COVID-19.

His notion of “The Sublime ” where a phenomenon happens in art or nature, and tackles the mind, breaking it in a way that helps it feel the existence of the transcendental sublime helped me. Go out and connect with nature, reflect in nature, in lakes, in desserts it made me and others look at the world in a new different perspective.

How would you describe your fashion style?

Minimalist, absurd, Cinematic. As is life. I live out of a suitcase, All I need is a hat, a book and some blush.

Tell us about the art forms that inspire your unique sense of style.

I’m mostly inspired by cinema, I watch a classical movie every day, my favorite is Antonioni, but I love Tarkovsky , Bergman Fellini , I love the extravagant woman on the screen, like Monica Vitti, a larger than life creature. Epic, strong and absurd.

Tell us about the recent Marie Antoinette look you debuted at Milan Fashion Week.

It was all a funny series of events. I was invited to the Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini fashion show. My friend Dana Winshman designed me this long hair down to the floor. When I tried on the Philosophy dress, my hair went up by mistake. When I took off the dress, suddenly the whole modern Marie Antoinette look came to life.

Rebecca Baglini dressed me, I took my mini Aristo book as an accessory and a mask designed by Betka. When I arrived in some odd way the whole scenery was a 19th century garden vibe, with Vivaldi playing as the soundtrack. I felt like reality adapted itself to my dream, it’s funny how this happens to me all the time.

Petite Meller from Jacqueline L Trevizo on Vimeo.

Photo & Video – Marina Moshkovich @moshkovich.marina

Makeup – Moran Eilat Yanko @moranko_makeup

Hair – Avishay Masty @avishay_masty

Styling: Jacquie Trevizo @jacquietrevizo

Editing – Valeria Zaitseva @yoma_film

TAIPEI FASHION WEEK SS2021 – RE:CONNEXT

In the hopes to reconnect people during these uncertain times through the art of fashion, as well as present the industry with digital experience concepts to inspire the future of fashion show events, this year’s Taipei Fashion Week SS 2021 RE:CONNEXT brought together the classic aspects of a conventional fashion show with a number of virtual, interactive elements.

Taiwan is a country mix of cultures and talented designers who have often studied abroad in New York, Paris, and Italy. As 2020 had an unusual beginning: the energy crisis, global warming, and a worldwide pandemic that has not only created social distances between humans but also redefined how we communicate. Designers remain true to our heritage, returning here to showcase their dazzling and original contributions to a global fashion language.”
Many of designers are taking humanity as its concept, exploring nature, sustainable textile, and the post pandemic complex matters.

#Damur works with textile manufacturers and chemical plants to create water-proof, light and foldable clothes made by grade P2-rated protective medical materials. “We add houndstooth prints, denim flash prints, animal prints on to the non-woven fabrics with 3D printing technology to broaden the use of medical fabrics. These garments will have diversified uses, including travel and in-flight wear.”

“With the advancement of digital technology and materials, we can produce excellent products everywhere. Designing a piece of garment is actually about designing the language of a society. The important key is to find a community that recognizes and resonates with your language or perspectives,” stated Damur Huang as he prepares for his #kiosk project that aims to “up-cycle” clothes.

Stephane Dou and Changlee Yugin, a rare designer duo, is a brand known for many firsts in Taiwan, including a large concept store in the alley of Taipei’s Chung Shan North Road in 2003 and being the first to initiate gender fluidity in Taiwan’s fashion scene. This year marks the brand’s 25th anniversary. For them, the brand is one that comes into maturity, becoming a brand that knows what it wants, what it does not want, and what responsibilities it has. DOUCHANGLEE’s 2021 Spring-Summer collection takes the palette of black, white, hemp, denim and neutral colors such as tones of stone, moss, and cement. “We like natural fibers and we mix them with high-tech materials to make our garments more comfortable and structured.” The play of sporty and luxurious elements symbolizes a mixture of values.

Founded by Jill Shen in 2017, the name Seivson is derived from two French words – Nos and Vies that mean we and inspiration. Seivson’s logo is adorned by a small screw bolt, signifying the pursuit of perfection in details. The designer contemplates deeply on the functionality of her designs. For the 2021 Spring-Summer collection, Jill Shen plays with Hermes carre and the Burberry trench to portray a story from the end of century. Her inspirations came from her dreams and her observations about society: In a theatrical style, she uses multiple looks for daily wear, illogical and oversized clothes. For the fashion show, Seivson collaborated with floral artists to create a stage with withered plants to portray the imagery of apocalypse. Seivson uses the environmental friendly elements and materials, plays with the eco- friendly fabric and naturally-dyed techniques in our new 2021 series. Expressing through Seivson’s signature print developments and the pattern cutting constructions, fusing the design and art energies, Seivson considers the practicability and uniqueness of how a garment can be. Speaking out the reflection of environmental sustainability through the designs.

“The more you stay true to your roots, the more globalized you become.” This is one of the values Justin Chou believes deeply in his creative process. He is very skillful in mixing and deconstructing elements of East and West. Luxxury Godbage, a sub label from JUST IN XX, offers products from reusing and upcycling materials, second-hand garments, used accessories and vintage pieces. To Kuo, it’s sort of like molecular cuisines. Kuo feels the idea of luxury is time – how to express craftsmanship in fast fashion. We may not need massive clothes. We need clothes with meaning, stories, and crafts. He says: “During this time, I had time to think. Being a part of fashion, what can we do to minimize waste and pollution? This is an issue that we all have to think about, not just the fashion industry but everyone on this planet.”

Founded in 2011, Dleet started as a designer for menswear. Upon demands by female consumers after its initial success, Dleet launched its womenswear which rapidly became the main business for the brand. In the beginning, Dleet was a small label showcased in a friend’s boutique.
By chance, Dleet participated in a joint event for local rising designers at Eslite Tun-nan. In the 2-week event, the brand received overwhelming responses. Until this day, Dleet has a strong client base in the Eslite stores with loyal followers. The 2021 Spring-Summer collection takes the theme of dual personalities, interpreted by layering and mixing two individual styles, such as uneven sleeves and collars. His garments are known for sleek lines and high wearability, Dleet has very high aspiration for Taipei Fashion Week. He says: “I hope it would be very energetic and free from boundaries – an event that is not limited to local fashion and culture, but more global in its outlook.”

Just like an epic poem, after the setting from earlier chapters, the story of Shiatzy Chen evolves with richness, broadness, and imageries. As a pioneer for Taiwan’s fashion brand. Shiatzy Chen was one of the first brands that has successfully established itself in the Paris fashion scene. Founder Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia speaks of the brand’s future plans for the international market with lights in her eyes. Starting with pattern-making, selection of materials to making of embroideries, all the processes have become globalized: patterns made in Paris, fabrics from Milan, and embroideries that combine aesthetics of the East and the West. The embroideries are developed by Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia, utilizing techniques and advantages of European court garments, Suzhou embroideries, Miao embroideries, and more to make the ultimate creations. “The key to luxury products is the commitment. When we are committed, we can embark on a road less traveled.” The theme for 2021 Spring-Summer collection is “Circular Journey”. It’s a part of the brand’s mission to expand on the richness of Chinese culture. Although fashion is an industry based on constant changes, Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia has a longer vision. “When we have a global vision, we realize how small we are. That realization allows us to see a different world.”

Inspiring ourselves through sustainability, ecosystems, and ancient crafts to evoke a primitive wisdom of ancient times where humanity suffered but also persevered against the heavens. Land should not be forgotten and each article of this planet has nourished our cultures. We must seek within ourselves for an innate instinct and create value through recycling.

In the “PRIMITIVE SENSE” themed exhibition, we showcase two design teams : SABRA ANDRE and Paru Cunuq as representatives of the aboriginal viewpoints.

The student team of the Taiwan contemporary aboriginal experimental clothing course at Shih Chien University also woven out with their own design language. The beautiful vitality dedicated to this land. Paru Cunuq is committed to the research of traditional fabric crafts, and has long invested in the teaching of native tribal crafts and industrial development, sorted out the development context of aboriginal clothing culture, promoted the development that emphasizes differentiation, and conveyed more precise lichen decoration culture to the indigenous The balanced development of fabric culture in various regions is regarded as the ambition to invest in the industry, and the pattern record and fabric experiment are regarded as the brand purpose.

SABRA ANDRE presents us the first part of the Taitung trilogy this time. Designer ANDRE transformed the childhood memories of Taitung into bright prints and decorations on clothing. The strong colors are impressionist canvases spread out under the sun in Taitung. All the packages displayed are hand-made with the elderly , contributing to the inheritance of Taitung culture. Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is matched with the second-year clothing design course of the Fashion Design Department of the Shih Chien University, aiming at the in-depth field adjustment and reorganization of the aboriginal culture, integrating the logic of clothing fashion and the use of different materials to produce experimental clothing.

TAIPEI FASHION WEEK SS21

This is an era of rebirth and innovation, and Taipei Fashion Week returns this year with a whole new look. The Digital Terminal, which many will transit, uses an immersive theatrical experience to communicate the designers’ creative thinking. The Fashion Mart provides Taiwanese designers with a window to the consumer market. And for international buyers stuck elsewhere, an interactive matchmaking service in a novel digital format helps with business opportunities, marking a new approach for international fashion.
We cordially invite you to join us for this annual fashion extravaganza, and to be warmed by Taiwan’s glow as it sparkles on the international fashion stage.
– Lee Yung-te Minister of Culture

The pinnacle of the 2020 Taipei Fashion Week SS21 was the SS Launch Party hosted by the Ministry of Culture at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park on October 6th. A total of sixteen fashion shows by Taiwanese designers, two themed shows (Themed Exhibition for Materials & Themed Exhibition for Indigenous Peoples’ Culture), and over forty designer exhibits took place over the course of five days.

The theme of “Re” will connect all the inspirations and creative concepts found throughout the Taipei Fashion Week. The Chinese title of Re:connext leaves a blank space that is open to individual interpretation so the audience may express their own attitudes toward fashion. The English title Re:connext is the combination of “connect” and “next,” a hope for the fashion industry to reconnect on a personal and industrial level following the pandemic and a broken supply chain. The fashion show hosted by the Taipei City Government is titled Re:PLAY to redefine the possibilities of design through sustainability, respect, technology, innovation, urban vitality, and interdisciplinary integration

Fashion by Primitive Sense

Renown designer Yen Po Chun and his team will be responsible for the key visuals. The fundamental element of fiber will be combined with situational backgrounds of a digital era to create an image of culture and technology intertwined. Chun uses vibrant colors as metaphors with blue signifying elegance and personality while red represents passion and sensibility; the two colors connect sensibility with reason. The shifting landscape poses a challenge and we must adapt accordingly. As the primary platform for Taiwan’s apparel industry, how can the Taipei Fashion Week incite new discourse? How will fashion be redefined and how will the industry be reborn?

Virtual Escape

The year 2020 had an unusual beginning: the energy crisis, global warming, and a worldwide pandemic that has not only created social distances between humans but also redefined how we communicate. Quarantine, telecommuting, face masks, and temperature checks are fictional measures that have now become a part of our daily lives. The whole of humanity is at the crossroads as the unusual has now become the usual while existing norms are rendered obsolete. A shared belief system woven into the fabrics of society throughout the passing of time is now disintegrating and crushing the old world order. This is a sign and a revelation: nature is fickle and this time, the human race has been caught off guard. Now, more than ever, we will be exploring our relationship with the planet Earth, with others, with nature, with organic matters, and inorganic matters; the complex web of interrelationships have never been so provoking.

Fashion by Weavism

For the Taipei Fashion Week only, the Multi-Showcase Exhibition Hall at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park will be transformed into the Digital Terminal, a large floating island. Each and every visitor will become sky walkers that will be led on board by dedicated navigators after their identity is confirmed. The visitors will embark on a journey into a highly-developed dystopian society where conflicting elements of body and mind, the human and the mechanical, and reality and the virtual interweave. The world is filled with modified humans, fantastical creatures, supernatural devices, and extravagant apparel. Visitors will be able to experience the dystopian world for themselves, rewriting their stories and encountering surprises throughout.

Fashion by Allenko3

Digital Terminal is inherently a large imaginative space and each space can be further divided into multiple scenarios. Fashion houses can convey a message or display their artwork which could be outfits, textiles, images or sketches. We encourage brands to think outside of the box and showcase their own unique and untamed creativity.
Digital Terminal is a show for the Taipei Fashion Week that blends the virtual and the reality. The Digital Brands Exhibit will deliver an experimental immersive experience constructed by six outstanding designers and creators. The exhibit will take place in a dark venue and will be complemented with audio, projections, interactive technologies, and other forms of digital art. Available to the public throughout the entire day, the exhibit will combine the dynamic with the static. In this giant space, the lines between apparel and apparel, apparel and audience, and audience and others will be intentionally blurred, allowing the audience to roam freely within the flowing space as they get a closer look at the works and become a part of the Digital Terminal. Unlike conventional fashion shows and generic exhibits, each designer has been given a space where they can unleash their creativity and where their models can walk freely among the audience. The audience can interact with the designer and get an up-close look at the collection which will be complimented with installation art, audio, and visuals. The exhibits are open to the public for the entire day to help make fashion an accessible and tangible construct rather than a distant concept.

Fashion by C Jean

DEATHBYROMY BY JOSEF JASSO

Dress by House of Mua Mua, Head-piece and crucifix by Mariana Harutunian

DeathByRomy

Photographer + Creative Direction Josef Jasso

Styling + Creative Direction Adrian Joseph

Style Assistant Carlos Posadas

Makeup director Nicky Andrea

Hair Stylist Ana Estela

Interview by Izabel Rose

Weird Brain Creation pvc plaid look, Boots by Dolls Kill

Singer, songwriter, and dark-pop provocateur DeathbyRomy pays attention to every last detail. She pours both pain and euphoria into her catchy but heavy music, pitting electronic melodies and propulsive beats against hypnotic vocals and deeply personal lyrics. Now 20 years old, the Los Angeles-born Romy Flores wrote her first song at age 5 and began releasing her music at 15, mining inspiration from the iconoclastic artists she was raised on (The Beatles, Björk, Kanye West, to name a few). With her 2018 debut album Monsters, she soon drew an avid following and found countless fans turning up to her shows adorned in her signature eye makeup. Her Capitol Records debut, 2019’s Love u — to Death EP, was short but sickly sweet, emphasizing her unique interweaving of rap boldness, electronic innovation, and raw rock ‘n’ roll passion. As Romy’s sound has taken shape, so has her DeathbyRomy persona: the Harajuku punk fashion, the corpse-like makeup, and her hard-earned, utterly badass confidence. Stay tuned for more new music coming soon.

How did you find out that you wanted to be an artist?

I was raised in a home covered in art, by two people who were not only artists themselves but who honored and valued art in all mediums. My mom would sing all the time to me when I was little, and museums were a regular outings during my childhood. I started writing at five, but it wasn’t until I had experienced what I knew was real pain, did I know that I wanted to console and touch others who had felt the same. My best means to do so was through my art.

Where do you pull your musical inspirations from?

My biggest inspirations are Bjork, Kanye West, Bring Me The Horizon, and Lady Gaga. But I pull my own inspirations to write from everything around me. From the void, to mania, to pain and love.

Describe the creative process behind your music?

It constantly varies and is not limited to one set formula. I write everywhere. My favorite place to write is on the plane.

How would you describe your fashion aesthetic?

hmmmm…bi-polar? Just kidding, Japanese Lolita meets goth hype beast and a sprinkle of Renaissance witch.

From the editorial shoot, which are your favorite designs?

I loved the Weird Brain Creations outfit best. I love her work.

Black Dress by Michael Costello, Glove by Mariana Harutunian, Earrings & Necklace by Coutorture

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

To never take anything personally. To not let compliments and high regards to be the only reason I am happy with myself or the only thing that makes me feel good about myself. And in hand, to not let negative energy or comments about me be the reason that changes how I see myself.

What song(s) would you most likely sing in the shower?

Anything that allows me to belt because you sound better with the bathroom acoustics. Maybe “Cry” By ashnikko.

What’s to come from DeathbyRomy?

More music, and infinitely more life.