The process of creating a collection is always a great one, and even more so when it is in collaboration with an artist as I always want to respect the body of work I’m inspired by and its creator. For my Fall/ Winter 2014 collection I was honored to collaborate with German artist, and long-time friend, Thomas Ruff. His focus on aesthetics and process fueled my creativity and I was constantly inspired from our monthly meeting in Düsseldorf reviewing sketches, fabrics and the first pieces of the collection.
I have known Thomas for many years and when, in 2012, I attended a comprehensive exhibition of his works at Munich’s Haus der Kunst, I knew that I wanted to do a collection with him at some point. We were celebrating ten years of Akris showing in Paris and it seemed like the perfect time to take my photo prints to a new level. When I asked Thomas if he would be interested in collaborating, he responded: come on by.
His pictures are a comment on our media-driven world and are never quite what they seem to be. There is always something unexpected to discover and you never really can decipher their enigma. To me, the color and composition is essential to his works. In my collection, I wanted to explore through technology how to express this with digital print on fabric. This resulted in a significant artist collaboration with Thomas and collection for Akris Fall/Winter 2014.
