Art and fashion. Fashion and art. The two have become one and the same—the mashup of both, or Artfashion, is something that has surfaced as of late, in light of artist Jeff Koons’s collaboration with mass retailer H&M and more recently, designer Gilles Mendel’s art-inspired J. Mendel spring 2015 collection that borrowed influences from Enoc Perez’s paintings.
Now, it’s J Brand‘s turn. The denim brand has crossed the threshold into the art world with a new collection (exclusive to Barneys New York) done in partnership with contemporary artist Rob Pruitt. He has treated denim (J Brand’s Power Stretch denim fabric, to be exact) as his canvas, giving each his signature gradient spray-paint style that has garnered international recognition.
“J Brand’s philosophy makes them the perfect company for me to partner with,” Pruitt says. “They have a reverence for the rich American tradition of blue jeans but they’re also willing to push the envelope. Blue jeans have long been an interest of mine—10 years ago I even made a series of sculptures involving hundreds of pairs. So it was thrilling to think that by working with J Brand I’d be able to see my contribution to this legacy walking down the street.”
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Slip on wearable art with these pre-painted colorful dégradé jeans that come in four colorways: light blue-green and red-purple (both in the 620 mid-rise super skinny fit), and ink-cobalt blue and black-gray (both in the mid-rise skinny fit with released hem). And they’re available starting today for $325 at select Barneys New York stores and barneys.
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