One of the recurring motifs in Kehinde Wiley’s work are the ornate floral trimmings that permeate his backgrounds and beyond. The artist recently transmuted the notion of those grounds into a limited edition clothing line, though the resulting habiliment echos just as many hues of the motherland as it does the salons of 17th century France:
“In Nigeria I bought these amazing fabrics from open-air markets. I brought them back, photographed and sourced them for painting, then wondered what to do with them. I ended up working with the designer Dapo Jamiu-Soyoye. You know that Michelin Man-style puffy coats? We made a series of those out of the fabrics and are going to sell them in a pop up store in New York in December ‘08 or January ‘09.” (via GQ)
