The merging of art and fashion is symbiotic. Everything that surrounds us is a product of the society we live in; who we are, what we see, and what we experience is interconnected and interrelated. There is no object or design we can point to and say that it doesn’t belong to the realm of art. You can tell as much about a culture or period of time by the paintings it produces, as by the articles of clothing it uses for individual and collective expression. By combining different mediums to make art, we are better able to transcend our lives and in the process connect to the essence and universality of who we are.
As a fashion designer, Bruno Harding is curious about shape and form, fascinated by colour and intrigued by social, historical and cultural references. Considering fashion and the fine arts go hand-in-hand, his one-off pieces of intricately fabricated clothing are works of art in their own right.
His eponymous label Bruno’s, contains a series of original garments composed of vintage fabrics and recycled materials, featuring fine stitching and intricate detail, some taking weeks to make. No two pieces are the same, and he often works with found objects and textiles, transforming them and making them indistinguishable from their original form, while still retaining elements of familiarity. In this sense, the same amount of artistic expression goes into his clothes, as a piece of pottery or a painting.
Harding absorbs a wealth of ideas from different disciplines and cultures to inform his process, using cloth and tailoring techniques with the same skilful ability as an artist applying paint to a canvas. He is not especially inspired by one particular period or culture, but allows the materials to dictate the outcome of each inimitable garment. Bruno’s Originals plays at the intersection of art and fashion, and is exclusively available at Railway Street Studios; view his pieces here.
Bruno's Originals are also available for commissions, please contact us to inquire. Read a Q&A with Bruno Harding...