Multimedia Artist Lauren Altman, who Skillfully Upcycled Clothing into Wearable Pieces of Art
Multimedia artist Lauren Altman, the creator of Lauren Altman Studio, specializes in crafting unique, handmade clothing items that blend a playful, fashion-forward style with traditional utilitarian worker designs. Drawing upon her rich background in both fine art and the fashion industry, Altman skillfully upcycles and converts jumpsuits, work suits, jackets, and outerwear into vibrant, wearable pieces of art.
What inspired your collection and motivated you to transition your art from canvas to clothing?
It was actually a practical reason I started making clothing. During the pandemic I didn't have access to my studio but I did have access to my closet, so I started using jumpsuits because I loved how big of a canvas they were. I had all this time so I was hand painting, dyeing and embroidering all these messages about mental health since it was so important during the pandemic. It all just kind of evolved from there.
What core philosophy or message do you aim to convey through your designs, and how does this show up in your pieces?
In my first collection, I was interested in using jumpsuits because it was a metaphor for a work suit and during the pandemic we were all doing inner work, focusing on mental health. Like let's put on these jumpsuits and make home our workspace. It's actually like a self care suit, to do hatever you need to do that day for your mental health. So my affirmations were encouraging, one had messages on the arms and said “self care is the work of resilience,” another one was “grief is an expression of love.” I was using lots of motifs that kind of inspired transformation and renewal like rivers, flowers, things that I was pulling from nature to represent that we are all part of this planet. I loved that the symbolism was also tied to the other aspect of preserving our resources on this planet. It was cool for me to really think about my wardrobe in a new way by making them my canvas, that was kind of the beginning of the philosophy of health, wellness and sustainability.
Walk me through your creative process. How do you begin conceptualizing a new collection, and what steps do you take to bring your vision to life?
Well, my process is really intuitive, it just flows. I read a lot of poetry and books about people's journies with mental health, well being, and creativity. I like to bring that into the motifs in my work. I also really like motifs that represent webs. I make these big circles that are very meditative in their making, that show how everyone’s thoughts and emotions are interconnected.
Your designs often incorporate unique materials. How do you go about selecting these materials, and how do they contribute to the overall narrative of your collections?
It's a combination of things. As an artist, I've had the amazing opportunity to do residencies in different parts of the world. I love bringing things in from other cultures, going to India was really fun for me. I did a residency there, in Chennai, India and South India and I was able to collect really cool textiles. I found woven textiles, dyed beads, and really old things like vintage pieces that were just in the back of stores. I also spent time in Mexico City and I loved seeing all the motifs there, the raw expression, and the color. I learned techniques in Mexico City, I did some Indigo dyeing and I still use the yarn that I dyed there now. Even in upstate New York I found this yarn collaborative that I really love and I got something naturally spun yarn I’ve been using too. The spontaneity of just working in the studio and seeing what weird concoctions I can come up with is what inspires me. Like making my own paper out of compost and putting it into resin to make buttons with my own weird paper, there's all kinds of things that you wouldn't think about. I really like those moments, it makes it fun.
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine
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