OVERCOAT

Ryuhei Oomaru of OVERCOAT and artist Rirkrit Tiravanija have COME TOGETHER to create wearable works of art with the purpose of giving new life to secondhand clothing. The two were introduced through independent curator Akiko Ichikawa. The presentation of COME TOGETHER which will be installed outdoors in the Chinatown district of New York, will be held during New York Fashion Week on 9 September 2022.

By juxtaposing signature OVERCOAT tailored pieces with items supplied by the Or Foundation, for which Tiravanija has been a supporter, Oomaru reshaped twelve garments, which are then tagged by Tiravanija with such messages as, “FEAR EATS THE SOUL”, “FREEDOM CANNOT BE SIMULATED, “NO MORE REALITY, and “TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY” before being contorted, shredded and sliced, until scrap and source become indistinguishable.

The Or Foundation is a US and Ghana-based not-for-profit organization that has been working between two countries at the intersection of environmental justice, education and fashion development since 2011. The Or Foundation has brought global awareness to fashion’s waste crisis through extensive research and action around the secondhand clothing trade as it manifests in Accra, Ghana, home to the largest secondhand clothing market in the world.

The resulting one-of-a-kind pieces are at the crossroads of conversation; the discarded clothes are in an organic dialogue with the custom-made awning-inspired creations of OVERCOAT. Their discourse is made tangible by the unique phrases individually screen-printed upon each garment at Tiravanija’s studio.

Two artists. Two garments. The source material is duo but the result is singular, minds meeting to make one. Coming together.