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of Kapoor's painting
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on silk of the early 20th century
There is a long tradition of modern artists working on textiles and other crafts. Picasso, Klee, Matisse, Mondrian and even Kandinsky have made such creations. Painter Raoul Dufy turned exclusively into textile design, working for the famous fashion designer Paul Poiret. Others, like Pollack and a string of abstract expressionists, were the inspiration for many anonymous designers and their prints on skirts and dresses.
Narciso Rodriguez recently displayed his Spring/Summer 2008 collection with this tradition in mind using the prints of artist Anish Kapoor to decorate some of his clothes.
Kapoor doesn't use recognizable imagery in his paintings. No landscapes or still lifes for him. He is in fact well known for his conceptual sculptures, some of which resemble those Indian festivals of colored powder.
Well, there was nothing impressive Rodriguez's collection. Some of his attempts look like exercises in tie-dye, others were so unsophisticated than even a first-year design student could have produced them.
For many years now, I've noticed that print is a difficult thing for designers to wrap their fingers around. The monochromatic blacks, whites, greys and navy blues, with the occasional splatter of primary colors, have dominated the fashion files. Even the great Valentino goes light on patterns.
It's really time to put the variety and color of print into our textiles. But prints made with boldness, like for example what Pucci has been doing for several decades now. Not Rodruguez's feeble attempts.
If artists cannot, or will not, provide inspiration, then designers just have to work it out on their own.