MIND THE GAP

Can't afford their art? Get a T-shirt from your favorite up-and-coming artist.

The first time Gap introduced their Artist Edition collection of T-shirts, we were a bit bummed; yes, we love just about anything involving Barbara Kruger, but shouldn’t the big-name brand be supporting young artists, rather than those already established?

Gap, apparently, is paying attention, because for the second installment they’ve brought on a talented crew of up-and-coming illustrators. Rob Lowe, Hiroshi Tanabe, Yuko Shimizu, Pete Reid and Thomas Brodahi, Si Scott, Steve Wilson, Mike Perry, and Jess Rotter were each invited to come up with four designs that represent the word “embrace” in one way or other. Although the (Red) Artist Edition collection doesn’t hit stores until April 23, we’ve got an exclusive sneak peak, courtesy of NYLON fave Rotter.

How did the Gap collaboration come about?
The lovely Carl Wolentarski, who is the curator of (Product) RED for Gap, was shopping at Other Music in NYC when he came across the Rotter and Friends wall display and fell in love with the prints. He reached out shortly after and asked me to contribute work for the series.

Was there a lot of creative freedom, or did you have to follow general guidelines?
Amazingly enough, the ride was totally up to the artists. I tried to give myself enough structure to have fun and just kick out some drawing jams that will have people experience designs that are colorful, nostalgic, and really wearable, with a hint of muppetry.

So Gap really didn’t dictate a specific aesthetic?
I think the beauty of this project is that Gap wanted us to really represent who we are at extreme degrees, which in turn would be out of the Gap aesthetic. This is all about exposing ones work to the masses, so if we were chosen and told to be something else, it would be a bummer!

Your Rotter and Friends tees all represent old-school rock stars; if these tees were a rocker, who would they be?
I would say it represents more rock lovers than one artist in particular. I had a really good time making these pieces and I think the musical party aspects of my work come through in the drawings. If I had to choose one song to describe all four prints for this collection, it would be “Love is All” by Roger Glover and the Butterfly Ball.

REBECCA WILLA DAVIS



This story was published on January 27, 2009.