A unique collaboration between artist Digital DOES and Ronald van der Kemp during Paris Couture Week

Graffiti and fashion go very well together as proven by multidisciplinary artist Digital DOES and fashion designer Ronald van der Kemp (RVDK) during the leading Paris Couture Week end of January. Ronald van der Kemp showed a creation of geometric pieces of felt, linked to each other through small rings. The felt was made by i-did from textile waste and painted by DOES during a live painting performance as part of the 'Wake up World' performance during Amsterdam Fashion Week last September.

As a multidisciplinary artist with his roots in graffiti, Digital DOES expresses himself as purely as possible, without limiting his creativity. This is reflected in a continuous evolution in the use of different media: from murals, canvas and sculptures to paper collages and now also fashion.

Digital DOES: “It was a great challenge to work with felt because the paint soaks into the fabric. I used this characteristic to my advantage creating a 3D effect. It is mindblowing to see how Ronald van der Kemp has transformed the piece of felt into a couture creation with geometric pieces. My work is colorful and often explosive and that energy comes into its own. The result is nothing short of stunning.”

Project Trashure
As the world's first sustainable couture label, RVDK is on a mission to change the fashion industry. RVDK joined forces with Dutch sustainability pioneers Sympany, i-did and The Hague University for ‘Project Trashure’, working on the common goal to find creative, technical and circular solutions to make textile trash into treasures. The piece of eco felt painted by DOES is a proof of concept for this ongoing project.

Ronald van der Kemp: “DOES created this amazing piece of art that we made into a party dress of interlocking geometric pieces of felt. This is upcycling to the max! From trash, to felt, to art, couture and circular business.”