Chasing Santa Fe: GRAFFITI COUTURE - OOO SO SANTA FE NEW DESIGNS

Shad_O_PpL

Blas the Graffiti Artist

New York may indeed be the cradle of graffiti culture; the place where it all began, but Santa Fe may soon become the cradle of GRAFFITI COUTURE if designer/artist KAT SCHILKE and her talented graffiti-artist partner BLAS RAMIREZ have anything to do with it.

This dynamic duo will be launching their collection of surplus night camouflage jackets transformed into URBAN FASHION WORKS OF ART this week. They have named their creations - SHADOW PEOPLE - street written #Shad_O_PpL.

"We tossed a few ideas around about the name," explains Kat, " and finally came up with the connection of the Digital Night Camouflage keeping our soldiers in the shadows - and the Graffiti artists who also work in the shadows of the night, hence Shadow People."

They invited me to photograph the birth of this collection and all its moving parts. So over the past few months I have dropped by Kat's back patio - all painting was done outside - and photographed all the collaborative elements that came together to create this fabulous collection of jackets, bags and hats. 'Here's a sneak preview...

FROM BLAS' GRAFFITI ON WALLS, METAL, BOARDS, AND PAPER TO THIS...

Kat's amazing fringe bags...

THE BLANK CANVAS

Spray Paint...lots and lots of it...

Handmade stencils...

AND, HOURS AND HOURS OF THIS...

THE PROCESS

"This whole process began with the unknown," explains Blas, "it took many steps to understand the material and how to work in layers to create the sense of street urban and underground worlds coming together.

The first step was seeing how the jackets reacted to the paints, we didn't want a stiff, rough-feeling jacket, so having a light base and a second layer of other highlight elements made the colors and designs pop off the jacket. Stencils and taping were used to embellish the original jacket's pattern."

Each jacket is oddly similar, but the chaotic patterning

makes each one unique.

Yards and yards of masking tape to create infinite designs and patterns..

After all the layers of paint and graphics have been added, the jackets

are left to dry for 72 hours...

THE AMAZING EMBELLISHMENTS

While Blas is busy spray painting away, kat is busy creating one-of-a-kind embellishments - badges, pockets, safety pin broaches, buttons- all handpainted/crafted and sewn onto the finished jackets, hats and bags.