Art and Fashion enthusiasts take note: alice + olivia x Basquiat is here. The much-anticipated capsule collection, in partnership with the CFDA, launches this week, and fans of both Stacey Bendet’s wares and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work (they tend to run in the same circles, don’t they?) can expect a combination of her signature sense of whimsy with his well-known Neo-Expressionist imagery. “I wanted to create things that if Jean-Michel was alive today, he’d want to see on his girlfriend,” Bendet explained. “I’m not just taking a painting of his and printing it on a T-shirt. I really wanted to take his artwork and give it a new, wearable life.”
For instance, Basquiat’s “Notary” is splashed across a voluminous ball skirt and tinged with bursts of color; a portion of his “Beat Bop” is etched into a box clutch to which Bendet added glow-in-the-dark lighting; and a prim tea dress is subverted by a print of the artist’s cacophonous “Ascent” with raw fray along the trim.
Tamra Davis, who directed the 2010 Basquiat documentary The Radiant Child, acted as a sort of consultant on the project. “She was one of Jean-Michel’s close friends, they grew up together,” Bendet says of Davis. “So, to have her advise not only on the curation process but give insight to maybe what he would have thought of each piece was really amazing.”
This is Bendet’s second collaboration in what will be a three-year partnership with the CFDA. Her first capsule in 2015 celebrated artist Domingo Zapata.
Basquiat is a natural choice for the designer and art collector as her home is teeming with Claes Oldenberg prints and Dustin Yellin resins. “There are certain artists that just get you, and Basquiat has always gotten me,” Bendet said. “If you showed me a painting of his 10 years ago or 20 years from now, I’d still be, like, ‘That’s incredible.’”
The 17-piece capsule is now available at all alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet stores and at aliceandolivia.com. Prices start at $150 and top out at $1,295 for the limited edition hand-painted leather moto jacket. Each one has been labeled with its item number and the title of the Basquiat painting that inspired it. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the CFDA Foundation Inc. which focuses on fostering the talents of young American designers, among other initiatives.
“Stacey Bendet has been a valued member of the CFDA for a long time,” said Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA. “We could not be more appreciative for her work to help us in our cause to advance up-and-coming designers.”
