F*Art Magazine by Abbey Wiggam

featuring
Fashion Brand Company
Nathaniel Thompson
Christian Gutierrez

f * art
living at the intersection of fashion and art
by Abbey Wiggam

TABLE
fashion artists
artist talk
with Nathaniel
Thompson
accessories
at home
at the core
letter from the
editor
artist talk
with Christian
Gutierrez
of
CONTENTS
06
20
34
50
62
44

the fashion artists
bridging the gap
between fine art and
fashion
islfash
ion art? c
anartbe
fashion?istherea
differe
nce?isa
llfashio
n
art?c
an art b
efashi
on?ist
herea
differe
nce?

Today we ponder the age-old question:
is fashion art? But can art be fashion? Is
all fashion art? Is it both fashion and art
but for different reasons?
Okay, so asking
if fashion is art can get very subjective. It
can fall more under the design category
because design is often described as
art with a function outside of aesthetic
pleasure. That answers why people are
typically called fashion designers, not
fashion artists. But that doesn’t mean
fashion artists don’t exist.
A fashion artist is
not just an innovator, not just a designer,
but instead sits right at the delicate line
between artist and designer. The fashion
artist may not know how to sew and
create garments, but they can create art
to transform into garments, or create
a full performance art piece out of a
fashion show. A fashion artist seamlessly
moves about mediums and puts their
touch on everything they do.

Penelope
Gazin is a
fashion artist.

She’salwaysdabbledindifferentartisticmediums,
starting with a career in animation (with works
appearingonViceandmusicvideos),toillustration
(with a series of comics and commercial works)
and finally finding painting (with her work being
featured in a number of galleries). Despite having
noexperiencewithfashion,Gazinhadbeenputting
her art onto clothes and selling them on Witchsy,
the dark-Etsy she created with Kate Dwyer. The
site, born out of frustration with the excessive
clutter and limitations of bigger marketplaces
like Etsy, sells enamel pins, shirts, zines, art prints,
handmade crafts and other wares from a stable
of hand-selected artists. Gazin sold an array of
pins, paintings, jumpsuits and sweaters with her
art on them, but as interest grew, she knew it was
time to develop a solo brand.
Gazin’s brand decisions and designs—which she
produces in inventory counts sometimes as low
as 50—have a tongue-in-cheekiness to them that
fully reflect her art. When asked about her Sex
House sweater design, Gazin told ManRepeller,
“at the time, I had just done a painting of a cross
section of a doll house that had a bunch of people
having sex in it, and had called it ‘Sex House.’ And
that tickled me. So I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll combine
my perv art with something very kind of innocent
and genuinely kind of nostalgic, or something.’
Gazin’s focus with Fashion Brand Company is
to make comfortable and fun clothes that fully
embody who she is and what she wants to wear.
She doesn’t keep up with new designers (unless
she’s Googling to make sure someone hasn’t
already done a wacky idea she’s come up with)
and has zero fashion training of any kind. This
bubble frees her from keeping up with trends and
just lets Fashion Brand Company exist in its own
plane, which has in itself created new trends and
sparked a new creativity in wearable fashion.
That was the birth
of Fashion
Brand
Company.
Psychic Burden
Mini Velvet Dress
$135

teal satin thong
$24
"I love
to make
everything
stupid and
funny and
enjoyable
for me."
teal satin jumpsuit
$145
half-and-half jumpsuit
$235

Another way to answer the question of whether fashion
qualifies as art is to determine whether it should hang on a
wall or clothe a body. In 2015, Viktor & Rolf said,
“why not both?” Their Fall 2015 Haute Couture show was
called “Wearable Art” and transformed framed canvases on
a wall into ensembles on the runway. Like Penelope
Gazin, Viktor & Rolf explore absurdity in their work.
This show had the designers working as performance
artists, methodically unfastening their works from a series
of models and hanging them on the white wall behind the
runway. It invokes the feeling of loving a piece of
art so much that you want to wear it.
Viktor & Rolf “Wearable Art” Haute C
Fall 2015 Viktor & Rolf “Wearable Art
Couture Fall 2015 Viktor & Rolf “Wea
Art” Haute Couture Fall 2015 Viktor
“Wearable Art” Haute Couture Fall 2
& Rolf “Wearable Art” Haute Couture

isallfash
ion art? c
anartbe
fashion?
istherea
differe
nce?isa
llfashio
n
art?c
an art b
efashi
on?ist
herea
differe
nce?
This, of course, has been done in many commercial
ways, like the Vans x Vincent Van Gogh designs, sites
like Redbubble and Society6 that allow artists to have
work printed onto a range of base garments, and the
old masters on t-shirts being sold anywhere from
Highsnobiety to Urban Outfitters. But what’s so unique
and special about Fashion Brand Company and Viktor
& Rolf is that they are fully transforming the art and
fashion together. Penelope Gazin does not just print
a painting onto a t-shirt; she designs the perfect pair
of butt-hugging leggings and a luscious silk blazer
lining for her art to reside. Viktor & Rolf could have just
incorporated gold leaf and frames into their designs,
but they took it further and hung the garments on the
wall after wear. Fashion artists take garments that one
extra step, they focus on extra details and creativity
that only come from both an artist and a designer.
written by abbey wiggam
photos sourced online

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?
I am Nathaniel. I am a photographer and artist
moonlighting as a manager at a real estate firm. Or rather
vice versa.
artist
talk
with Nathaniel Thompson

How would you describe your style of art?
A collage and documentation of how I perceive the world.
What/who inspires your practice?
Sonic inspiration comes from Talking Heads at the top of the
pyramid, visual artist’s mainly include Ruppersberg and Ruscha, as
well as photographers Sally Mann and Martin Parr.
What is the most used object/tool in your studio?
Definitely my camera, and my other camera, and that other
camera, and that one too…
What step of your practice excites you most?
The idea. It’s the very beginning of that specific journey and I have
no idea where it will lead me.
How has quarantine affected your practice?
A lot less focus on my personal work and more focus on catching
up on all the other work I have to do for everyone else.

How would you describe
your style of fashion?
Proper when it needs to be,
improper when it wants to
be. .
What/who inspires your
style?
Me.
What is your most worn
piece of clothing?
My glasses. You’ll never
see me without them and I
would definitely not see you!
What step of getting
dressed excites you
most?
Still the beginning. I can
start with one piece and let
that direct the whole outfit.
What role, if any, does
your personal style
affect your art practice?
My style and art are both
a representation of myself
and can speak for me when
I cannot form the words on
my own.
How has quarantine
affected your style?
It hasn’t. I’m not going to let
a virus tell me how to dress.
@nr.thompson
nrthompson.com

flesh cave swim trunks $95
fashionbrandcompany.com
“Flesh Cave”
acrylic paint and ink on paper
by penelope gazin

learning to appreciate the small stuff

Now, more than ever, it’s
time to re-imagine
our accessories.
In this world
of neck-up
visuals, it’s
time to
emphasize
the small
things. Make
a statement
with what can
be seen - even
if you’re the only
one who sees it.
It’s time to treat our
earrings like the art they are and
keep them on display. No more
hidden jewelry boxes. Display
them loud and proud!
In a video conference, no one
can see the designer logo
monogram on your belt. But
they can see the new earrings
you made with charms from the
craft store (or an old keychain,
small toys, tassells, pearls,
etc....). Flip two pages for a
homemade earring tutorial and
support your local art supply
store!
Earrings breathe a new life into
any look. They instantly say
“hello, this is a real put-together
outfit and not just my pajamas”
even if it is, in fact, your
pajamas, but now with earrings.
Adding that one extra step can
trick the mind into feeling like
a million bucks. And with the
distance of screens between
us, we say when it comes to
accessorizing, the bigger the
better! Studs? Unnoticeable.
Five-inch rhinestone and gold
danglies? Dazzling! Throw in
some pearls for an extra level of
class.
If you thought that headbands
already had their moment, think
again! Headbands are another
way to immediately appear put-
together. They can tuck away a
bad hair day and add that extra
level of oomf. Don’t worry about
a headband shortage at the
shops -- according to WGSN
Instock, headbands account
for 47% of hair accessories in
retail. Get out and find one as
ornate as you are! Featured
here is a classic pink satin, but
pearl-embellished bands are on
the rise, as well as braided and
rhinestone-embellished.
It’s time to celebrate everything
we’ve got and dress to the
nines. Social distancing can’t
keep you from looking good!
accessoriesat home
by Abbey Wiggam

run out of earrings? make your own.
all you need are pliers, fishhooks,
jump rings, and something with
a hole. use the pliers to open the
jump ring. hook the ring through
the hole and the fishhook. use two
jump rings if necessary. close jump
rings. repeat. run out of earrings?
make your own. all you need are
pliers, fishhooks, jump rings, and
something with a hole. use the pliers
to open the jump ring. hook the ring
through the hole and the fishhook.
use two jump rings if necessary.
close jump rings. repeat. run out of
earrings? make your own. all you
need are pliers, fishhooks, jump
rings, and something with a hole.
use the pliers to open the jump ring.
hook the ring through the hole and
the fishhook. use two jump rings if
necessary. close jump rings. repeat.
make your own. all you need are
pliers, fishhooks, jump rings, and
something with a hole. use the pliers
to open the jump ring. hook the ring
through the hole and the fishhook.
use two jump rings if necessary.
close jump rings. repeat. run out of
earrings? make your own. all you
need are pliers, fishhooks, jump
rings, and something with a hole.
use the pliers to open the jump ring.
hook the ring through the hole and
the fishhook. use two jump rings if
necessary. close jump rings. repeat.
all you need are pliers, fishhooks,
jump rings, and something with
a hole. use the pliers to open the
jump ring. hook the ring through
the hole and the fishhook. use two
jump rings if necessary. close jump

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?
Hello! I am an artist and curator located in Savannah, GA.
My practice consists of a wide range of media including
painting, sculpture, installation, video, you name it.
Most of my work in the studio involves investigating
queer subjectivity and translating that experience into
material. On top of maintaining a studio practice I also do
independent curatorial work and art writing.
artist
talk
with Christian Gutierrez

How would you describe
your style of art?
My style is very cut and
paste. I predominantly
use collage, assemblage,
and printing techniques
to create artwork using
media that exists around
us. Aesthetically the work
is minimal in nature. I prefer
to use restraint in order
to allow the context of
the material to be at the
forefront.
practice?
Artists like Tom Burr, Henrik
Olesen, Liliana Porter,
and Paulo Nimer Pjota
inspire my work visually
and conceptually. But I
find so much inspiration
from my own experience
in the world. Things like
drag, politics, and my own
relationships are the main
driving forces for my work.
What is the most used
object/tool in your
studio?
That’s a close call between
glue and my handy staple
gun.
What step of your
practice excites you
most?
The ideas and concepts
before the work is created is
the most exciting part. The
finished product is a great
place to be at as well, but
the actual process is my
least favorite.
How has quarantine
affected your practice?
OOF it has really impacted
my practice. Its hard to feel
productive when the world
is so scary and times are so
uncertain. A lot of projects
stopped dead in their
tracks with no foreseeable
return, and the space and
resources I had access to
are no longer available. Its
been a challenge to say
the least, but I am trying to
be optimistic. It has been a
great time to step back and
analyze my past work as
well as ripe for future ideas
to come to fruition. Overall,
it has been a great lesson in
acceptance and flexibility.

How
would you
describe your
style of fashion?
I think my fashion
sense can be best
describes as a little eclectic
with lots of color blocking. I
love playing with textures and
patterns within a limited color
palette. Nothing is ever too
ornate. That way the clothes
feel simply iconic.
style?
I would say drag queens,
90s club kids, 80’s fashion
and homo-erotica, and the
aforementioned artists.
What is your most worn
piece of clothing?
I have this coat….its fantastic.
It’s a red and tan (p)leather
coat and has a beautiful color
blocked design. The sleeves
are a fun red wool and the body
of the jacket has these chunky
buttons and simple exposed
black thread details. Its my
absolute favorite.
What step of getting
dressed excites you most?
I think seeing the transformation.
There is a performative quality
to getting ready. Clothing
feels like a costume and you
can decide
to pick and
choose how you
want to present that
day. Mixing separates
to create a final look is
something I look forward
to every day. No matter how
I dress, it’s important for the
clothing to always feel like me.
What role, if any, does your
personal style affect your
art practice?
I feel like there are a lot of
similarities to how I approach
my art and my closet, they
are very much inspired by the
same things. In a lot of ways
fashion is just another outlet to
explore those interests.
How has quarantine
affected your style?
It’s forcing me to revisit older
pieces that I haven’t used in
a long time or looked over. Im
finding myself incorporating
those clothes back into my
life. Ive also been more free
with how I dress since no one
can see me haha. Some days I
dress in my go tos, other days I
dress in wild combinations just
because I can get away with it.
@christianmiguelgutierrez
christianmgutierrez.com
images by Abbey Wiggam

at
the
core
50
written by abbey wiggam
research from dazed
influenced by tik tok
photos sourced online
The impact of social media is a highly-debated hot
topic, but it undeniably has affected fashion trends.
There’s the well-known trends like the minimalist and
the baddie, but there is a growing group of young
people creating niche aesthetics that encapsulate
fashion and lifestyle. These aesthetics are called
“cores.” Tik Tok has stood out as a conductor of
these aesthetics because enthusiasts can showcase
multiple outfits, hobbies, decorations, and tutorials
on their chosen aesthetic. Here, we go deep into four
of these new cores and learn about what it means to
follow their aesthetic.

52 cottagecore cottagecore
“Imagine if we lived in a
small cottage in the woods
surrounded by wildflowers and
mushrooms and we took care
of chickens and lived off the
grid” is something you may
have heard on social media.
Welcome to Cottagecore.
Adopters of the aesthetic
trend typically start by sharing
images related to cottagecore
and the lifestyle but soon begin
taking part in the lifestyle, from
baking to sewing or foraging
for mushrooms.
Cottagecore is an aesthetic
and a dream way of life that
involves softness and slow
living. It is essentially based
around the idea of living
off the grid in a peaceful
pressed-flower-filled world.
While this is the end-goal for
most cottagecore adopters,
there are many other lifestyle
changes that people are
taking in COVID-19 isolation to
help make their cottagecore
dreams a reality. Baking bread,
knitting, sewing, embroidering,
and going out to forage for
mushrooms and berries is a
daily part of this lifestyle.
Cottagecore is defined by a
romanticized old-European
aesthetic, namely frilly clothes,
ethereal filters, and traditional
living. The lifestyle is not a
“we were born in the wrong
generation” kind of sentiment,
but more of learning from
history and bringing tradition
into modern times. Followers
of this trend are not trying to
go back to a time before civil
rights, but instead focusing
on living in a time before the
planet was ravaged by industry
and people lived slowly and
consciously. With so much
of our daily routine involving
technology and virtual living,
cottagecore gives us an
opportunity to step back
and work with our hands and
connect with nature.
Recently, cottagecore
has been having a
moment, experiencing
a boom on platforms
like Tumblr, which has
seen a massive spike
in engagement with
cottagecore content
with posts up by 153%,
likes by 541%, and
reblogs by 644%.
Cottagecore is highly rooted
in reclamation: reclaiming a life
not dictated by technology,
reclaiming a nostalgic lifestyle
that many marginalized
communities never were
allowed to experience, and
reclaiming soft and feminine
aesthetics after being
sexualized or toughened in
the media. For people raised
in the 2000’s, so much fashion
content was related to
dressing sexually or dressing
more tomboy/masculine, or a
mix of both. Frilled dresses,
soft shoulders, and pastels
were often seen as old-
fashioned and stuck in
the past, so no matter
how attracted to these
clothes people were,
they were encouraged
not to wear them.
Cottagecore
adopts these
“old-fashioned”
trends but shines
a new light into
them: one that
appreciates
vintage, slow
living, and
making do with
what one has.
the aesthetics taking over social media

“Clowncore – an existential image
crisis. Parents have uttered
the emotionally deprecating
stock phrase “you
look like a clown” to children
for years. Recently, wearing as many
colors as possible, lavish makeup,
face tattoos and dressing like a
clown year-round has become a
niche trend in the
underground. Whether
it’s a way of reclaiming
past scars or a way of embracing
vibrancy and embracing the full
spectrum of looks, clown aesthetics
are a fun trend for 2018”
Clowncore started in more of
the alternative and undergound
scenes and is essentially defined
by dressing like a clown. Brooklyn
party hosts Olivia Galov and Abby
Fiscus starting throwing
clown- themed parties in
2015, so the aesthetic has
been slowly making it’s way into
alternative culture.
“A lot of times when I go to nightlife-
type parties in New York, I feel like
my former high school self
staring at the hot popular
people drinking bottle
service and I go sit in the bathroom
alone,” she said.
“People can’t judge me if
I’m a clown. There are a
lot of clowns in New
York nightlife, whether
they admit it or not—I’m
just showing my true
colors for the whole world
to see.” Abby Fiscus.
It’s also safe to blame the circus
atmosphere of the most recent
presidential election for the
clown mania as the trend started
emerging in late 2016 while political
debates were in full swing. You’ll
find clowncore in the alternative,
underground, and dance scenes. It
may also be referred to as clownpunk
because of the darker tones.
A more light-hearted version of
clowncore focused more on preschool
and child- like clown aesthetic has
grown away from clownpunk.
This trend is still tagged as
clowncore but is an evolution from the
underground styles. This evolving trend
is focused more on using bright primary
colors and patterns but more related to
rainbows and nostalgia.
cLOWNcORE

Goblincore celebrates
gems, coins, and cool
trinkets to form collections.
These collections can con-
sist of rocks, moss, sticks, drift-
wood, crystals, buttons, candles,
pins, small bones or skulls, and really
just anything that grabs their atten-
tion. A branch of goblincore is devoted to
friendship with the forest and its inhabitants.
Followers of goblincore often like garden-
ing, moss and mushrooms, shiny things,
small creatures, and vintage glass
jars or bottles. Goblincore is similar
to cottagecore in its connection
to nature, but differs in the
hoarding and love of wet-
lands over grassy fields.
Goblincore fash-
ion is rooted in thrift-
ing and vintage. Clothes
are often oversized and pre-
worn so fit as cozy as possible,
popular items include overalls, shorts,
and sweaters. Dark and earthy colors tend
to qualify the looks as they match nature
and will hide any stains. Outfits are often
accessorized with found objects that have
been transformed into jewelry, mismatched
socks, and a choppy haircut. Mismatch-
ing earrings has become quite the trend
in many of these new core aesthetics be-
cause it allows the wearer to show
off as many types of earrings
as possible and fully fit their
aesthetic.
goblincore
L o v e c o r e , known also as
cherry Lolita, is all about making every
day Valentine’s Day. Clothes come in shades
of pink and red and graphics are all about love.
Cherries, hearts, love letters, and strawberries are the
most common icons. Lovecore is an evolution from
the pastel goth and kawaii aesthetics of the mid 2010s
but with a more contemporary silhouette. Lovecore
is less about the actual silhouette of the clothes
and more about the color and iconography. You
can find lovecore enthusiasts watching Sailor
Moon or the latest Netflix romcom and
drinking strawberry milk in their plush
pink bed. Lovecore enthusiasts also
enjoy writing love letters and
fanfaction, daydreaming,
and making playlists
with their
favorite love
songs.
lovecore

obscene comic print dress $75
fashionbrandcompany.com
“Wake”
acrylic paint and ink on paper
by penelope gazin

Time is weird, right?
March felt like the longest
Month of my life, but April
flew by like it was nothing.
Each day blends into the
next and it has been difficult
to make my time count.
Graduating and moving out
of my apartment during
a global pandemic has
been… overwhelming to
say the least. There is so
much content about how
we should be utilizing
this time of distance and
isolation to be productive.
I’ve been focusing on
activities that spark joy, not
necessarily ones that spark
productivity!
But I have to ask, what
is productivity? What
constitutes as productive?
In my book, anything that
benefits you and does not
harm others is considered
productive. This is a time
to let ourselves slow down,
spend hours on Tik Tok,
and look back through
the pictures in our favorite
magazines.
Luckily, creativity and art
bring me joy so creating
this magazine has been
a beacon of light and
normalcy for me. And, even
luckier, Tik Tok and my
favorite magazines inspired
works in this magazine.
f * art is a space to blur
the lines between art and
fashion, high and low brow,
personality and reporting.
f * art is funny, is fashion, is
the future.
Here’s a list of things I’ve
done in isolation that I
consider productive:
• Made new earrings
• Cancelled a free
subscription before I
was charged
• Learned how to marble
paper
• Caught up on podcasts
• Baked four loaves of
sourdough, neither of
which rose
• Gave myself a tattoo
• Started and did not
finish a puzzle
• Journaled (occasionally)
• Communicated with my
sister through Tik Toks
• Cut herbs from the
community garden
• Called my mom
• Posted a photo of
myself on Instagram
• Knit a very ugly
blanket
• Looked through old
sketchbooks
• Learned new
cocktail recipes
• Cleaned out my
closet
• Let myself cry
• Called my
mom, again
f * art
letter from the editor
Abbey Wiggam

F*Art Magazine by Abbey Wiggam

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Ähnlich wie F*Art Magazine by Abbey Wiggam

Ähnlich wie F*Art Magazine by Abbey Wiggam (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

F*Art Magazine by Abbey Wiggam