POP: the new fashion/art line from My Lost Uncle - MissingSince1979
13 Sep 2018.

by Drew Rowsome -

Fashion design is an art form. And sometimes, particularly when created by fashion and art project My Lost Uncle - MissingSince1979, the lines between fashion and art explode to combine in conceptual glory. A previous lines was inspired by Bruce LaBruce's classic film Hustler White and the Paul Goes to Hollywood line by Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Paul Rutherford. The provenance of the new POP collection is as intriguing.

As always,

Garments and accessories are inspired by the forgotten memories, bizarreness of Northern Hemisphere, popular culture and especially the stereotypes of a modern man.

But specifically,

The theme of the collection set is POP.
Because.
1. Pop is about fun, art and fashion to cover up the harsh reality.
2. Pop is about breaking cultural boundaries and respecting diversity.
3. Pop is about copying, repeating and popping the world to the level of an unpredictable luxury.

And My Lost Uncle - MissingSince1979 goes further by citing two specific influences,

Collection set is dedicated to great artists: chimpanzee Congo and the man in shadows Richard Hambleton.

Congo lived and produced art at the London Zoo. Born in 1954, he began to paint at two years of age and was noted to have an eye for symmetry. He was also prone to rages if a painting was taken before he decided it was finished, and would demand a new canvas when he decided his current piece of art was aesthetically complete. Congo's style was "lyrical abstract impressionism," and Picasso was such a fan that an original Congo hung in his studio.

Celebrity beckoned and Congo was feted, analyzed and televised, all while producing over 400 paintings. In a notorious auction that sealed his fame and stature, Congo's paintings sold for 20 times their estimate, while a Warhol and a Renoir did not reach their minimum.

There is a Canadian connection with Richard Hambleton though he quickly moved to New York and became a citizen of the world. Before departing he founded and remained a co-director of Vancouver's Pumps Centre for Alternative Art. Hambleton, a contemporary of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, began with street art and his Shadowman series, before becoming a gallery sensation. 

Hambleton also had a fashion connection when, collaborating with Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood in 1983, they created the Witches Shadow Man Skirt which My Lost Uncle - MissingSince1979 cites as "a rare and unique masterpiece, a simple combination of fashion and art."

Congo and Hambleton are an unique example of the cycle of art in popular culture.
They both are superstars somewhere else now, R.I.P.

One can instantly see how the two sources and My Lost Uncle - MissingSince1979's wit and stylishness, combined to create the POP collection. Hambleton created many paintings of the Shadowman jumping and it is not a stretch to depict Congo, with the addition of pop art colour, doing the same.

There are only two items in the collection, a jacket and shorts. They are also only available made-to-order and are, at $961.41 for the jacket and $723.70 for the shorts, priced as couture and the art they are. The fabric is cotton twill and, as well as fabulous, they are collectibles.

Following their own whimsical pattern, the main promotion for the POP collection with be guerrilla marketing reflecting their "passion for street art and culture in the '80s and '90s." That marketing is inspired by another source: K-pop. "K-pop has been a huge influence on fashion and trends," says My Lost Uncle - MissingSince1979's Jani Maunula. "One not so good trend popularised by the industry was skin whitening." The collection photos are by Kurt Mussel and modelled by Shehe "found on the streets of Helsinki."