Stacey Bendet, Founder and Creative Director of Alice + Olivia, held an event earlier this month at the Hole Gallery in Manhattan, to debut her new capsule collection, channeling the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat. She wanted the room decor evoke the spirit of the artist, and Epson, one of the world’s premiere performance imaging companies, answered the challenge by recreating Basquiat’s works with wall signage and and projections throughout the event space.
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| Channeling Basquiat in design and print |
The capsule collection, which benefits the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s young talent initiative, is in keeping with Bendet’s continued collaboration with artists. Basquiat, one of her favorite artists, rose to prominence in the American art world before the age of 27, making him a particularly suitable subject to serve as a creative influence for young talent.
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| Designs and Prints |
Bendet featured iconic elements of Basquiat’s work throughout her collection, drawing inspiration from the New York City art scene of the 1980’s. She notes that she used beadwork and embroidery details to add “ a modern dimensional element” to some of the artist’s most famous works, “obscuring the line between fashion and art.”
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| Jessica Seinfeld at the event |
As the imaging partner for the event, Epson sought to bring the collaboration of Alice + Olivia and Basquiat to life within the event space. Kimberly Michener, Manager, Advertising & Brand, Epson America, Inc., discusses how Epson used their technology to achieve a fashionable and artistic environment.
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| Bomber jacket |
Can you give some background on how Epson got involved in the Alice and Olivia capsule project?
Epson reached out to Alice + Olivia to discuss ways in which we may be able to work together, and out of these discussions, we identified a need for projection and large format printing technology for this event.
What was the printing process?
We leveraged Epson SureColor S-Series 64-inch large format solvent printers for creating the signage, which provide unparalleled levels of productivity, image quality, and reliability.
Were there any challenges in bringing the designer’s vision to the event space?
As mentioned above, Epson printed the Basquiat images showcased in the gallery, as well as providing the projection technology. The Epson SureColor S-Series printers are well suited to the high level of printing required for an event like this – delivering vibrant colors and high level of detail.
Is there anything else that you would like to share about Epson’s role in the event?
This is part of an ongoing outreach in preparation for the Epson Digital Couture event that will be held in February prior to New York Fashion Week. We are pleased to not only have been part of the event with Alice + Olivia by Stacey Bendet, but we are honored to have printed Basquiat’s works. The event represented an ideal melding of art and fashion and technology – a perfect match for Epson.
– Rhonda Erb
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