KEHINDE WILEY ANNOUNCES NEW CLOTHING LINE

Painter KEHINDE WILEY’s use of highly detailed floral motifs as backgrounds for his intricate portraits is legendary, and now the artist has translated this inspiration literally into a new line of clothing that will be making its commercial debut at the end of the year. Speaking to GQ magazine, Wiley explained: “In Nigeria I bought these amazing fabrics from open-air markets. I brought them back, photographed and sourced them for painting, then wondered what to do with them. I ended up working with the designer DAPO JAMIU-SOYOYE. You know that Michelin Man-style puffy coats? We made a series of those out of the fabrics and are going to sell them in a pop up store in New York in December ‘08 or January ‘09.”