Lauren Altman, a versatile multimedia artist, is making a name for herself in the fashion and art worlds with her brand, Lauren Altman Studio.
Altman has merged her wealth of experience spanning the realms of fine art and fashion by upcycling and converting jumpsuits, shoes, jackets, dresses, and so much more into dynamic, wearable works of art. Discover the captivating intersection of fashion and artistic expression within Altman’s one-of-a-kind creations.
“I have a very personal relationship with clothing, whether exploring the history of vintage items, designing, tailoring or upcycling. I use my art as a space for self expression,” says Brooklyn based Altman who remains deeply committed to her contemporary art practice, even as she focuses more prominently on the fashion industry.
Her distinctive clothing is known to quickly sell out at various pop-up events and third-party retailers, frequently showcasing empowering and positive messages such as “I heal,” “I grow,” and “I mend.” She also finds inspiration from quotes by avant garde poets. One line by Gertrude Stein has appeared on her garments, “a rose is a rose is a rose.” These affirmations are intricately sewn, pinned, or embroidered onto the clothing alongside a captivating collage of imagery, often featuring archetypal elements like rivers, skeletons, and plants, all intermingled with abstract painterly splashes, drips, and strokes of vibrant colors like hot pinks, oranges, fluorescent greens, shimmering golds, and sky blues. This creates a harmonious fusion of playful, fashion-forward aesthetics with the timeless, utilitarian silhouettes reminiscent of worker attire, organically cutting through gendered tropes about work, play, and emotion.
Before her journey to New York to pursue studies at the prestigious Parsons School of Design, Lauren Altman was raised in Minnesota within a family of artists. Her initial foray into the world of fashion began with a unique apprenticeship under the guidance of her parents’ tailor, Chavéz Custom Clothiers. Carlos Chavéz was known for crafting mid-century business suits and, somewhat ironically, equestrian apparel (despite the family’s lack of equestrian interests). Under Carlos’s mentorship, Altman gained hands-on experience in fabrics, sourcing, pleating techniques, fashion illustration, and creating custom pieces for clients.
Her thirst for knowledge and experience led her to intern with the Chinese fashion designer Peter Som and later with Theory. Yet, Altman’s evolving interests in design and contemporary art opened doors to opportunities within New York’s vibrant art scene, including writing for the Guggenheim Museum, working on Trevor Paglen’s “The Last Pictures” project with Creative Time, a role at Jonathan Levine Projects, among others.
In recent years, Lauren Altman has embarked on journeys to culturally rich destinations like Mexico City and Chennai, India. While completing her MFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Art at the University of Pennsylvania, she was awarded a scholarship to attend an artist residency in Chennai with UPenn’s South Asia Center a. While there, Altman created video art looking at the life cycles of garments; as well as another work using upcycled fabrics that was exhibited around Philadelphia at UPenn and at Seraphin Gallery in downtown Philly.
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These travels have deepened her understanding of textiles and the profound spiritual and cultural connections they hold. “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,” Altman notes.
Combined with her extensive academic and professional background, Altman has developed a heightened ability to delve into the essence and spirit of the personal and fibrous artifacts she encounters. She skillfully transforms these discoveries into unique creations, sharing them with people from all corners of the world. From her first group show in NYC at David Nolan Gallery in Chelsea, her artwork has traveled as much as she has, now held in a public archive at Universidad de las artes de Yucatan in Merida, Mexico, as well as exhibited in London and Miami. “It’s full circle; transforming the old into the new. It’s an alchemical process designed to in the light and in full color.”
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With love,
FWO
