Feb 2015

To the
POINT
Escada’s collaboration with contemporary artist
Thilo Westermann has created a capsule collection
of floral dresses and separates that are spot on
The cross-pollination of fine art and fashion
seems set to continue for the new season,
with painterly influences aplenty in the
Spring/Summer 2015 collections. However,
not all designers used artists’ work simply as inspiration.
Escada fashion director Daniel Wingate was so impressed
by German contemporary artist Thilo Westermann’s
recent exhibition Was bedeutet denn für immer (So
what does forever mean) that he enlisted the artist to
collaborate on a capsule collection with the luxury
clothing brand. Westermann’s innovative work draws
on pointillism, a 19th-century Impressionist painting
technique whereby small, distinct dots of colour are
applied to a surface in a pattern to form a larger image.
His labour-intensive interpretation involves applying
black paint to the reverse side of Plexiglas, then using a
needle-like instrument to remove the colour dot-by-dot
to reveal a design. For the Escada range, Westermann’s
paintings were scanned and magnified, then their
motifs – which recall 17th-century Flemish floral still
lifes – made their way into Escada’s minimalist designs.
A compelling mix of artistry and aesthetics, the eight
pieces – sure to appeal to fans of art as well as fashion –
will be presented on black busts in a museum-like setting.
The collection incorporates tailored separates, T-shirts, an
evening gown, cocktail dresses and silk foulard scarves,
each rendered in monochrome with a flash of fuchsia.
Available from International Designer, First Floor
Escada dress £920 and blazer £840