The daring and distinctive indie artist launches his own clothing line at DKNY
By Rachel Molino
Posted 06/05/08
Recognizing Paul Pope (Batman: Year 100) on the streets of Manhattan may be difficult; noticing his art is another matter. Pope’s distinctive style—a mix of urban influence and European sensibility—has expanded from manga to mainstream comics, where the artist and writer manages to remain unconventionally independent. Now, in a logical move, Pope brings his flavor to fashion via his own line at DKNY, so we asked him to give us the lowdown.
WIZARD: How did this collaboration happen?
POPE: Andy Nipon [the creative VP at DKNY] saw my Batman book and was curious to see if I had any interest in designing clothes. It turned into me getting my own line within the larger DKNY Jeans brand. It’s called 2089, the date of the 100th anniversary of the company. I pitched them on the idea of doing clothes with a lean toward the science fictional themes I tend to put in my comics.
Do you see this as a bridge from comics to fashion?
Because of the computer and the increasing use of moving pictures to convey information, our culture is gradually becoming more image-oriented. It seems that comics as a vehicle for expression is really benefiting from this.
What do you hope to accomplish in terms of comic art-infused fashion?
I hope to further push comics as an art medium into the forefront of contemporary culture, and ultimately, to make some beautiful objects.
How would you describe the difference between what you’re doing and the run-of-the-mill comic T-shirt?
Some of the stuff in the line does what other comics T-shirt graphics have done, because that’s always something people want—cool images on a T-shirt. The materials are maybe a bit more special though, the fabrics nicer or more unusual. The jackets and camo patterns are really more creatures of fashion than of comics apparel. Some of the stuff in this first series of clothes is stuff that comics T-shirt manufacturers don’t or couldn’t do. Because DKNY is an actual fashion company, we had much more room for play.
Can you see any other artists doing this?
Prada is now using some of James Jean’s images for print graphics in their current women’s line. So far as I know, we’re the only ones doing this stuff right now.
What can you tell me about what you’ve created so far?
The first season debuts in August and it’s a worldwide thing—you can get these clothes anywhere in the world through chain stores like Macy’s and Club 21. We’ll also have a mini-site off the main DKNY Website (www.dkny.com) for main-order sales. We have further seasons planned, but nothing yet to announce. The work is challenging and interesting, and very different from comics.
