Wear LACMA Enlists Kendall Conrad, Lena Wald & Outerknown

Lena Wald rings for Wear LACMA

Lena Wald rings for Wear LACMA

A trio of new designers are offering up their wares for Wear LACMA. The museum’s class of 2017 includes accessories designer Kendall Conrad, jewelry designer Lena Wald, and, for the first time, menswear options from Kelly Slater’s Outerknown. As it has done with past collections, LACMA invited the designers to the museum to find inspiration for their contributions, which often reflect details from the museum’s vast permanent collections. This year’s focus seems to be on accessories, with leather goods from Conrad and delicate rings from Walt, whereas past years had more ready to wear options.

“One of the great things about Los Angeles is that there are so many creative people here in the city. With Wear LACMA, we love partnering with Los Angeles based-designers for their unique perspectives and diverse backgrounds. The way these designers have been inspired by the museum’s collection allows us to look closer at these works and appreciate them in a different way,” Katherine Ross, founder of Wear LACMA, told WWD. “This season’s selections from Kendall Conrad, Outerknown and Lena Wald perfectly reflect the original mission of the Wear LACMA project and spotlight incredible works of art.”

According to WWD, Wald created a suite of jewelry inspired by German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s “Two Nudes in a Room” (1914) and a woodblock print. She interpreted the figures into a selection of enameled rings with male and female symbols.

“I am a native Angeleno and LACMA has always been a part of my landscape. Since much of my work is figural, I was drawn to two Kirchner objects, the Untitled print and ‘Two Nudes in a Room,’ a painting with incredibly stunning colors,” Wald said of the collection. “I love the idea of painting/enameling the jewelry for this Wear LACMA collection in the rich colors reminiscent of these works.”

Outerknown for Wear LACMA

Outerknown for Wear LACMA

Slater’s Outerknown took inspiration from several pieces, translating a Hawaiian textile, Syrian tile, and a 19th-century botanical photo onto a trio of T-shirts. It’s the first menswear offering from Wear LACMA, though plenty of women are sure to gravitate towards the monochromatic tops, too. Fans of Outerknown will be happy to see that the patterns fit perfectly in the line’s earthy M.O., making for a slew of must-have additions. There will also be a pair of pants stocked at the museum’s gift shop.

Kendall Conrad for Wear LACMA

Kendall Conrad for Wear LACMA

Leather goods from L.A.’s Kendall Conrad round out the year’s collection. Conrad translated a carving from a handled weight from Afghanistan that showed scorpions and a palm tree onto an iPhone wallet and shoulder bag, both in rich brown leather. The imagery is perfect for the designer’s distinctive, hand-hewn designs, which are sure to appeal to the boho crowds that gather at the museum.

“This artwork first caught my eye because it was in the shape of a bag, but the carved image is what I fell in love with. I realized that this indigenous tableau would translate well as a hand-stitched interpretation on leather and as a brass pendant eliciting the talismanic scorpion,” she told WWD.

The 2017 Wear LACMA collection will be available at the museum and online on June 7. Past Wear LACMA designers include Clare Vivier, Oliver Peoples, Libertine, and more.

Images courtesy LACMA

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Author:Fashion Trends Daily Staff

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