Her pants are from a 25-year-old designer in the South of England.
Dua Lipa Embraces the Growing Trend of Hand-Painted Clothes
The focal point of Dua Lipa’s latest Instagram (aside from, of course, the singer herself) was an Iron Maiden T-shirt with a sheer shirt underneath. And while the heavy metal band merch was certainly a standout, the colorful pair of pants was the head-turner in Lipa’s look. The flamboyant, kaleidoscope pair, which gave the illusion of patchwork, was by the designer Kat Rose, based in Portsmouth, England. The 25-year-old received a request from Lipa’s stylist Lorenzo Posocco to create a pair of custom jeans for the singer. With fabric paint and markers, she turned a vintage pair of Levi’s from eBay into a statement piece worthy of a pop star.
Rose began designing when she was 16 and started creating custom jeans and dresses last year. As for her inspiration, she’s inspired by artists who have had little training. “I like things that are cheeky and I like to be as cheeky as possible,” she says. “I just get all my paints and pens and I go to town.”
Hand-painted clothing like Rose’s has become a trend as of late. Of course, Emily Bode of Bode has long been drawing on her clothes. In fact, Harry Styles wore a pair of handpainted Bode pants for his Vogue December last year that included references to his childhood and a portrait of the artist David Hockney. Nick Williams of Small Talk Studio illustrates his T-shirts, button-ups, and jeans with a melange of random images, such as a box of Nag Champa incense, a Popeye spinach can, and a serene-looking cow. Downtown-beloved designer Emily Dawn Long paints flowers on her jeans, most recently with natural, food-based dyes and pen detailing. Cafe Forgot darling Annabell P. Lee also illustrates her clothing, as does Juliet Johnstone.
These designs offer a chic, meditative reprieve from the world of fast-fashion. Even though it’s a trend, it’s personal and customizable. Vogue editors agree, and Market Editor Naomi Elizee has even gone as far as to paint her pants. “After seeing the popularity rise in hand-painted denim and dickies, I decided to take a shot at them myself,” she says. “Although they may not have been artistically beautiful like the one’s Juliet Johnston makes, they were definitely fun and therapeutic to make.” Calming and chic? The hand-painted look is a must-try.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Liana Satenstein
