The abstract elan of graffiti artist Futura (Lenny McGurr) has long captivated the fashion world. For Louis Vuitton’s A/W 2019 runway show, Virgil Abloh invited the artist to live tag the brand’s New York-inspired show set, in a nod to the famed orbs and narrow squiggles he used to spray paint across the city in the Seventies, where he ran in an avant-garde art circle with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Dondi White. Just last month, Sotheby’s auctioned a pair of 2005 Futura-designed Nike Dunk High Pro trainers for $63,000 USD as part of its ‘Cult Canvas’ auction.
A creative polymath working across fashion design, photography and album art, Futura relaunched his streetwear label Futura Laboratories in May 2019, after an eight-year pause. The brand’s relaunch was first stocked and celebrated at Dover Street Market Singapore, where in line with the opening of Futura’s major exhibition ‘Constellation’ in the city – an exclusively commissioned artwork was installed instore.
Now, Dover Street Market and Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo has continued her celebration of Futura’s aesthetic oeuvre with an installation of spherical sculptures embellished with archival prints, on display on the ground floor of Dover Street Market London. These kaleidoscopic, textural artworks were selected by Kawakubo in spring 2019, and feature as striking prints in Comme des Garçons SHIRT’s A/W 2020 collection. The offering features shirts, tote bags, and tees, panelled and collaged with Futura’s nebulous forms.
Rendered in planetary form, the orb-like steel and vinyl sculptures on display are a symbol of Futura’s graffiti-focused world. For those living in London, it’s just got a little closer. §
