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• January 21, 2009
• Trend Spotting

Art School: Meet The New Generation of Artist-Cum-Designers

By Xiyin Tang

From the late Yves Saint-Laurent's iconic Mondrian-inspired shift dresses to iconoclast Richard Prince's bags for Louis Vuitton, fashion has always had an eye for art. No surprise then that so many talented, young, and innovative artists put down their pens and paintbrushes and pick up needle and thread to wearable works of art. Curators that we are, we've highlighted five up-and-comers who successfully blur the lines between fashion and art, creating one-of-a-kind pieces that look good enough to hang on the wall, but are best seen displayed on your bod..





Lovisa Burfitt

The Artist: The Swedish-born, Paris-dwelling illustrator channels hints of Warhol in a massive print of platform pumps, or a graffiti-style wall painting of orchids in bloom for H&M.
The Designer: The cultural references and pop-art tendencies in her drawings translate perfectly to her clothing line, Burfitt. What started out as a simple, rocker-chic line of t-shirts has burgeoned into an impressive array of romantic dresses and sculptural tops.

For more designer/artists, keep clicking.

Alyson Fox

The Artist: Though Fox favors simple, clean lines done in the most basic of materials (ink, pencil, watercolor), her art is anything but. So minimalist as to be unsettling, Fox's hollow men and austere household objects hover between intimacy and distance, familiarity and strangeness.
The Designer: Given her penchant for ideas of home and comfort, branching out into simple, comfortable clothing and housewares was a no-brainer. A Small Collection, her cozy line of bras, sweaters, throw pillows and feather-soft tees, share the same sort of minimalist tendencies as her illustrations.

Kime

The Artist: L.A-based Kime Buzzelli's art lives in a realm entirely its own, one where fashion, art, and music come into play. Imagine nymphs that look like they've taken a romp in Olivier Theyskens' dark woodlands, carrying pieces of twig and feathers in their hair, or princesses-in-distress heavily smeared in layers of paints, watercolors, and markers.
The Designer:Because fashion plays so heavily into Buzzelli's art, the jump into clothing was a natural one. Her colorful, blurry, ethereal prints turn a simple white tee into a work of art, but she's also been known to venture into more fanciful territory, such as with a short mini dress bejeweled in clusters of beadwork.

More fashionable artists and artful designers below.

David Saunders

The Artist: The 31-year-old British artist graduated from the Chelsea College of Art in London, got his start working for famed British artist Tracey Emin, and was known for creating hand-printed, super-colorful block-art prints.
The Designer: Saunders really took off in '08, when he started working on his first clothing line, DavidDavid. His designs—bright, colorful geometric prints boldly emblazoned across tunics, tees, and oversized knits—are an easy extension from his sculpture and graphic design roots. He also collaborated with Henry Holland on a line of scarves and is poised to become London's next big thing since winning Topshop's Fashion East competition this past September.

Caitlin Mociun

The Artist: With a B.A from the Rhode Island School of Design, Caitlin Mociun cites the German Bauhaus school as inspiration for her art-meets-craft work, including her Bauhaus-inspired prints.
The Designer: "I've always liked making things, so instead of making art that would sit on a shelf, I decided to make clothing and textiles." Mociun admits the artist's way still draws her, something that's abundantly clear in her graphic printed dresses. "I still get to draw and play around with sculptural forms, so I'm pretty happy."