The New York-based contemporary artist launches his new clothing line, Objects IV Life, with utilitarian pieces made “to last a lifetime”
For many artists, clothing is an extension of their canvas – not only because they are often splattered in paints or marked by clay, but like their art, it’s another visual means of communicating. Launching today, Daniel Arsham has broadened his artistic practice to include a new clothing brand – Objects IV Life – a joint vision from the New York-based contemporary artist and the London-based brand developers, Tomorrow.
Daniel Arsham works across the mediums of sculpture, sketching, architecture and film, producing works that meld recognisable figures with notions of decay and collapse, stemming from the trauma of finding his house in ruins after Hurricane Andrew destroyed his Miami home at age 12. Geological elements such as rock, ash and sand are brought into play, embellishing or surrounding the works and making them appear like relics either buried or unearthed. This isn't his first foray into fashion, having collaborated with Dior Homme for a Spring/Summer 2020 capsule collection which was imbued with references to Arsham’s signature artistic processes of erosion.
Named Chapter 001, the first collection includes functional, unisex workwear jackets, hoodies, T-shirts and jeans in powder blues and off-whites, as a softer approach to classically hard, utilitarian pieces. Returning to Arsham’s recurring themes of time and timelessness, along with an increasingly urgent need for environmental consciousness, the denim pieces and tote bags breathe new life into deadstock materials.
Found elsewhere are utility-boots which are modernised with exposed steel toe caps, and key charms and baseball caps in similar colourways to the utilitarian pieces. “Objects IV Life is the product of a meeting of minds and a shared ambition between Daniel and myself to establish a brand that created elevated workwear and accessories,” says Stefano Martinetto, CEO and co-founder of Tomorrow, “intended not for a single season, but for a lifetime.”
Objects IV Life Chapter 001 is available to order here.