The worlds of art and fashion are constantly colliding with wonderful results. But what do artists themselves make of clothes and style in general? From what they wear to the studio to their favourite outfits, we asked three of our favourites to reveal all.
aRTiSTs tALk AbOUt HOw ThEy geT DReSSEd
Who can be surprised that those tasked with creating beautiful things should also like wearing them
Words by Heather Gwyther
I proudly wear my Regatta workwear trousers to the studio (because who cares if they get covered in dust and paint) and a top from a brand I love, such as Vague, the skate mag. Basically, I dress like a skater boy when I’m working. It’s a necessity, though: the clothes I create my best work in are the clothes that don’t need dry cleaning. But believe me, If I wasn’t an artist, I definitely wouldn’t dress like this – I’m feminine to the core.
"If i wAsN’T An aRTisT, I DEFinITELy wOULDn’T DReSS LikE THis – I’m fEmINIne To tHE cORe"
To me, the artist with the best style is the musician Orville Peck. He makes the sexy and mysterious cowboy thing work without it looking at all cliché – his outfits are art. I also love Michaela Stark, whose work and style challenges and questions our ideals of beauty.
In the same way that we all grow and shed our former selves, my style evolves with my work organically. If it didn’t, I’d end up stagnant – and that would be incredibly tragic.
I’m working from home at the moment, so I dress to chill! Sitting in one place for a while can get cold though (which isn’t good for my drawing capabilities), so I slowly layer myself up like a snowman. This is probably the reason I love all KOIBIRD’s puffer stuff.
However, if I’m painting a mural I always wear my bright yellow dungarees. I feel they make me look more professional and like the client can trust me more.
"mY COLoUrfUL cLOTHes RefLEcT My pERsOnALITy – nOT jUsT MY wORk."
I wouldn’t dress differently if I wasn’t an artist, my colourful clothes reflect my personality – not just my work. Most of my clothes I consider to be art pieces because, in the last couple of years, I made a pledge to only buy stuff I would never throw away. I like collecting things from smaller brands, they make outfits feel more special.
Fashion-wise, I’m not sure which artist has the best style – it’s their work I follow, not what they wear. However, I’m really inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe. She chose to live in New Mexico alone in this amazing house where she could go up to the roof and watch the sky at night – fully naked. To me, that’s true style.
At the studio, the most important thing is that I am able to paint freely and not feel inhibited by anything that I’m wearing. After comfort, the next thing I consider is colour palette. I like wearing different colours depending on my mood – brights if I’m feeling happy and black if I’m a bit more moody, for example. The clothes that I create my best work in are clothes that are already covered in paint because I’m not scared of ruining them.
An artist that springs to mind in terms of style is Grayson perry. I really respect how he plays with gender and femininity in his clothing choices. His outfits are out-there and that’s something to be admired.
"tHE mOsT imPORTanT tHINg Is THAt i Am aBLe tO pAinT fREELy aND nOT fEEL inHIBiTeD By AnyTHINg THat i’M weARIng."
If I wasn’t an artist, I would wear an artist’s smock and a black beret with a paint palette to hand at all times – essentially like a live version of the artist emoji. That way, I’d hopefully become an artist in due course (since I can’t imagine not being one).
The collection I designed in collaboration with Lazy Oaf is really special to me because the pieces are so personal. The fact that it exists out in the world and that people are wearing it feels unbelievable!