Turning an artist’s eye to fashion design
Sterling Ruby’s studio looks more like a fabric warehouse on the outskirts of Prato near Florence than an artist’s studio in Los Angeles, and the atmosphere inside it is more that of a workshop than a laboratory. During the last decade Ruby has been one of the most influential artists in Los Angeles and beyond. A sculptor and a painter, he has been dragged into the fashion world almost full time by Raf Simons, his friend and avid collector. Simons even created a custom-made environment for Ruby within Calvin Klein. It is not a surprise then that Ruby has embraced his own fashion project and collection. It will be premiered as part of Pitti Uomo 96’s special events schedule in the fascinating Pagliere building inside the grounds of the Boboli Gardens. We spoke to him while he was working in Los Angeles to finalise the last details of his collection. When did your involvement with fashion begin? It started 15 years ago. My knowledge of fashion was limited then. I understood the power of clothing and the behavioural aspects of wearing something, but I didn’t know much about the industry. Befriending designers like Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Michèle Lamy, Pieter Mulier, Matthieu Blazy, Kate and Laura Mulleavy and others changed the way I understood the creative aspects of making clothing. They helped me realise there was little difference between their process as a designer and mine as an artist. How does this relate to your artistics practice? Making anything i n the studio is really the same for me. I approach sculpture, a runway set, an architectural project or a garment in a similar manner. For me, creating something physical involves formalism, materiality, subject matter and context – and this approach hasn’t changed. Fashion and art have dif ferent mechanisms, but as time goes by I see more and more similarities. Your relationship with Raf Simons started through art, not fashion, right? That’s right, we f irst met at my studio. Discussing art, music and other references from our youth was how
our friendship began. Your work, particularly the ceramic pieces, has a lot to do with the craft arts. Did this help you in building up a vision in fashion? I grew up surrounded by craft; it was there from the beginning. My ceramics came out of that history, and so did my work with textiles. I was thinking about quilts made by the Amish community when I started making my fabric collages. When I began to envision what a collection of clothes might be for me, craft was a foundational element. Can you tell me in one sentence what the new collection is about? It will be a long sentence! This f irst collection traces an autobiographical course, it contains everything from Anabaptist dresses to Slayer tour shirts, combat boots to West Coast kaftans: it’s an embodiment of how I understood the primal power of clothing at different points in my life. Did you focus more on materials or forms? It’s not either/or. Material and form are symbiotic for me. I’ve been working from both directions simultaneously. I was very interested in materials f rom the start. When I f irst started using bleaches, dyes, washes and rinses, I quickly learned which materials worked and which didn’t. But in making clothes, form followed function. I needed something uti l itarian, a pair of jeans and a shirt. My early garments evolved from a search for a very specif ic form. Could fashion take the place of art for you, eventually? I will always be an artist. I’m just an art ist who happens to make clothing, too. As time goes by I see myself taking on more of a creative director role. I l ike thinking in terms of industry, being part of an industry. Historically speaking, I’m not the f irst to work across genres, but I’m also not f i xated on being cross- discipl inary. What i nterests me is cannibal ising distinct discipl i nes and col l apsing them all into one practice. What is the main difference between making art and designing fashion? The difference is a welder versus a sewing machine. What is missing from art that encourages you to go into fashion? Nothing is missing, but the art industry is not arranged in a way that actually encourages artists. I’ve grown tired of the rigid system of dealers, curators, museum directors, auction houses and collectors who adhere to rules that simply feel out of date. But as far as art goes, I haven’t lost faith in it at all. As a matter of fact it keeps getting better for me. I do wish it was more open and less hierarchical. I am i nterested i n erasing divisions and boundaries, to f latten all order. Fashion feels like a good place to do that.
Does the collection have a title?
“2019”. I see the collection as a marker, a moment in time, survey-like. And did you focus most on a few specif ic garments? There are hundreds of pieces that were f inished leading up to the show. We are in the process of editing down and styl ing. The Pitti runway show will have around 40 looks. Following Pitti, there will be a number of other collections. Does working in LA give the collection a dif ferent spirit compared with working in New York? It absolutely does, I love l iving i n LA. The West Coast has an important place in the history of fashion, from the denim of the Gold Rush to the f irst time pants were worn under dresses during the California Women’s Suffrage movement. Later it was the birthplace of skate and surf subcultures. That being said, producing clothing in Los Angeles has its challenges, too. It simply does not have the same resources that places l i ke Italy or New York do.