Duro Olowu Presents: “Material” At Salon 94, New York

London-based fashion designer Duro Olowu will present a show and pop-up shop of fashion and art at Salon 94’s Freeman Alley Gallery. The show will present a group of limited edition fashion and accessory designs from Duro’s Spring 2012 collection as well as a selection of vintage and contemporary photography, textiles, contemporary art, furniture, music, books and objets trouvés.

Duro has long curated, in his London store in Masons Yard Saint James, a diverse assemblage of “things” that have captivated and inspired him and his work. Clothing created by Duro for the exhibition will include intricately draped bias dresses with ruffle details, guipure lace jackets and paneled tail coats, collage bib sheaths and gilets, corseted and full skirted print dresses, billowing chiffon gowns and skirts, and hand made footwear and will be featured alongside commissioned pieces by Paris-based jeweler Taher Chemirik, New York-based artist Mathew Ronay and paintings by Katherine Bernhardt.

Installed in a mise-en-scène featuring works by Juergen Teller, including images from collaborations with Duro, vintage photography by Malian photographer Hamidou Maiga and designer Carlo Mollino, a large photograph by Laurie Simmons, illustrations by Bella Foster, woven canvases by New York artist Tony Cox, prints by Suzanne Wenger, drawings by Lorna Simpson, furniture and objects by Martino Gamper and Maria Pergay, sculptures by Ghanaian artist Paa Joe and London based Francis Upritchard, ceramics by Matthias Merkel Hess, vintage West African textiles and rare fabrics from couture fabric makers including Abraham of Switzerland, along with work by Kara Hamilton, Jackie Nickerson, Ludovica Gioscia, and Philip Kwame Apagya. Olowu adds ” My work, like my eye, is certainly international in its aesthetic, offbeat yet focused. As such, I am always open to the surprise of the new, the technique and skill of the past and the ability of fashion and art to challenge preconceived ideas of taste and culture.”

After training in law, Duro Olowu turned to a career in fashion, launching his label in 2004. In 2005 the British Fashion Council honored him with the prestigious New Designer of the Year Award. In 2010, he won the Best Designer Award at the African Fashion Awards and was a finalist for the Swiss Textiles Award. Alluring silhouettes, sharp tailoring, original prints and vintage textiles in combinations are Duro’s signature, inspired by his Jamaican-Nigerian heritage and London upbringing, making him a favorite among fashion insiders.

Duro Olowu: Material
Salon 94 Freemans, February 8 through March 10
Opening Reception February 8, 68PM

SHF Credits Duro Olowu