Looking At The Sky

By: Iris van Gelder

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Introduction: 

This is part of our ongoing series of fabulous collages submitted  to us by Rotterdam-based artist, Iris van Gelder. We love to see how fashion can inspire each person’s perspective. So in that spirit, we bring to you, the beauty of “Looking At The Sky”.

Backstory:

This is another homage to the surrealists. I am a huge fan of creating images that raise questions and make you take a closer look. This image is surreal because of the print on the clothes and the sky as background. The hair of the model is still there but her face is replaced by a mirror.

*Iris loves making collages. This creative process allows her to rethink existing images and create her own world with them. Sometimes she’s critical and other times she wholly embraces the consumer society. Forms and shapes are really important to Iris, as they are like pieces to her puzzle. Check her works out at fasttrash.tumblr.com.

FashionBerry

By: Iris van Gelder

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

This is part of our ongoing series of fabulous collages submitted  to us by Rotterdam-based artist, Iris van Gelder. We love to see how fashion can inspire each person’s perspective. So in that spirit, we bring to you, the beauty of “FashionBerry”.

Roney George creating one of his artistic works

Feminine Brazil created by this designer’s fusion of artistic elegance and the gravitas of history. 

By: Sarah J. Montoro

Salvador da Bahia, Brazil

At the time I had met Roney George at a coffee shop in Salvador, my entire Portuguese lexicon consisted of “door”, “thank you”, “shut up” and “cobble stone road”. I was painfully foreign and knew almost nothing about the city I would be calling home for the next two months. So when Roney leaned over to my table and said, “You don’t look like you’re from around here,” I was excited to meet someone who spoke my language and, after a bit of chatting, also turned out to be a kick-ass fashion designer and visual artist.

Later, Roney took me to his studio to show me what he had been working on. His style, both in painting and design, embodies the feminine Brazil, the spirit and history of the Northeast, and the rhythm of Bahia.

A few years ago Roney teamed up with fashion designer Otávio Sampaio to create two conceptual collections that feature Bahia’s beach life and hinterlands using Northeastern folklore, native flora, and its history of banditry. The Cangaceiros, a group of social outlaws who roamed the Northeast in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, are featured heavily in Roney’s work. Their portraits are beautifully hand-painted and silkscreened on skirts, blouses, and swimsuit pieces in both collections.

The Cangaceiros

His designs have taken him around the world, bringing a taste of Brazil to places as far as South Africa, Portugal, France, Slovenia, Italy, and, most recently, the United States.  Here, Roney takes some time to talk with RAMP1885 about his work and the artistic relationship he shares with his homeland.

Roney's collaboration with Otávio Sampaio on the runways

When we first met you were telling me about the richness of the art scene in Salvador, and I remember you mentioning that the cemetery in Barra is an inspiring place to paint and write. Are there any other places in Salvador that inspire you?

The neighborhood of Santo Antonio… I love that place.

Gorgeous swimwear

Have you always lived in Salvador? Are there other places in Brazil that have influenced the visuals of your clothing collections?

I’m from a city in the interior of Bahia called Itapetinga but I came to Salvador when I was 17 years old. Salvador has a lot of influence in my work, but it’s more like looking at the world from the perspective of Salvador and understanding what’s happening around it. I love pop art for example, and it has a lot of influence on my work.

Are there any Brazilian fashion designers that have influenced your work?

The Cangaceiros. They were a very special social group here in Brazil. They used to create their own costumes and colored clothes by themselves and they were really beautiful! Even Luiz Gonzaga [the musician] and most people from that part of Brazil used to be identified by them.

If you Google “Roney George” your work often comes up under the title artes plásticas, which literally translates to “plastic artist.” Does this have something to do with the kind of paint you use, or do you work with other plastic mediums?

Haha… no, not really. Artes plásticas is what they call visual artists here in Brazil, but I do try to discover possibilities for new materials, even plastic.

"Michael Cópia"

What came first, painting for fashion designing? 

The painting came first, during and over. Everything that I’m doing is painting. There’s no difference between my fashion designs and my canvas art.

What’s the process like when putting a collection together? What comes first?

I think about something that is very strong, something that influences society. Beauty, culture, an understanding of history, etc. And then I choose what comes first.

Sketches of his collection

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

Yes! I’m thinking about making an exhibition about women, like I did in Italy. I’m thinking of using fashion and painting mediums together.

What’s your favorite place in the world to visit?

Last year I was in Cape Town, South Africa, and I just fell in love with that place.

Photography and artwork images courtesy of Roney George

*Born in Los Angeles California, Sarah is a writer, wonderer, and lover of shiny things. She currently lives and works in various cities throughout Brazil. Check out her thoughts at http://smontmonster.tumblr.com/

By: Triston

Berlin, Germany

Juan de Chamié (left) with Mad Kate

A Baroque-inspired model

Fabulous artistry at work

 

Juan de Chamié, fashion designer, musician and performance artist extraordinaire, has recently opened his new boutique/atelier EXIT in the heart of Berlin’s underground district, Kreuzberg. A collaboration with fellow performance artist-musician and writer, Mad Kate.

And what opening of his would not be complete without a barrage of underground artists who are connected to him in some twisted game of six degrees of separation? To wear his clothes takes balls and tits — sometimes simultaneously. Chamié makes exclusive couture that screams at you on the street, but always on key. His latest fashion show, The Feast of Pan, inspired by a Baroque painting, is yet another testament to his sartorial masterpieces.

Photography by Anna Achon

*Triston is a jet-set performance artist, writer and novelist, living between Istanbul and Berlin. You can check out his thoughts at http://www.myspace.com/triston