Designer Julian Smith, also known simply as Julian, has turned work by major South African artists into wearable fashion. The project, a collaboration with Johannesburg’s Art Eye Gallery, prints artists’ works onto fabric, turning fashion into a kinetic gallery about town.
“It is very exciting because each garment is different,” Julian said. “You never cut the fabric the same way twice, so every garment is unique in more aspects than simply its graphic.”
He said that the project is not so much simply about fashion, but about celebrating South African art. Each artist brings something new. “We have worked with black and white sophistication, bold, bright colours, and graphic contemporary abstracts. Nothing looks the same,” he added.
The range so far has featured the monochrome of Lindo Zwane, the bright and playful palette of Carmen Ziervogel, and the bold graphic abstractions of Tony Bico. Each brings a different aesthetic to the collection. “I like Tony’s work because it is easy to work with. Every piece translates beautifully into fabric,” Julian said. “You are buying a bit of the art, but not at the art price,” he said. “It introduces younger people to artists they might never have thought of collecting. That is the best part, you get to wear the story.”
You get to wear the story
The garments are deliberately simple in shape, too, said Julian. “You cannot have a busy style and a busy fabric,” he shared. “The styles are clean and tailored, so the fabric carries it. And they are timeless pieces you can wear for years. They become collectable.”
Also Read: Bico’s art doesn’t play it safe
Slow, thoughtful fashion is his yardstick when it comes to design. Julian is not a fan of fast fashion. “People do not just go and buy tons of clothes anymore because that is kind of rude,” he said. “Everyone has cut down. They buy less, but they buy better. Quality lasts.” It’s a philosophy that has been with him for decades.
Picture Gallery
As a youngster in Joburg, Julian followed his mother through Sandton boutiques and learned to notice clothes and the elements that comprise design. By the time he finished school in the early Eighties, he was determined to become a designer, a career still unusual in South Africa at the time. After his military service as a conscript, he moved into couture and soon started dressing contestants in the Miss South Africa pageant.
A-list designer
From there came celebrity clients, appearances on M-Net television shows, and eventually recognition as one of the country’s leading designers. He also moved into supplying high-end boutiques and retail chains, while exporting to the United States and Europe. His couture work extended to society figures, celebrities and the Zulu and Swazi royal families. His collections became an institution at South African Fashion Week, and in 2002, he made his debut at New York Fashion Week.
Julian is passionate about what he does for a living. “We as local fashion designers should celebrate our rich and abundant artists and their immense talent to create exciting and vibrant South African products,” he said. “Fashionistas are no longer interested in mass market reproduced clothing; they desire rare garments that tell a story.”
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