Is Fashion Art? Ask Sterling Ruby, Whose Couture Pieces Go On Sale Today

Is fashion art? It’s a question that haunts the upper echelons of the industry. Rei Kawakubo’s response is a firm no. So is Miuccia Prada’s. But what about Sterling Ruby, the Californian artist who has worked in the fashion space for over three decades? He’s worked with fabric, needles, and thread since age 13 (when he learned to sew), and has incorporated these techniques into his work from day one. As a part of his art practice, he has installed exhibitions of dyed and splattered clothing on gallery walls, and he has collaborated with Raf Simons on numerous occasions, both at Dior and at Simons’s eponymous brand. Earlier this year, Ruby launched his own fashion line, S.R. Studio. L.A. C.A., at Florence’s Pitti Uomo fair.

Ruby’s latest works further blur the line between what could be considered high fashion or high art. As a part of his S.R. Studio. L.A. C.A. label, the designer has handmade a number of garments himself, which will be sold with the label: S.R. Studio L.A. C.A. Unique. He tells Vogue: “The Unique line are pieces that exist as unique works made by me. I only make one of them; only one exists. I envision this becoming our atelier’s bastard version of Haute Couture.” The first pieces up for sale are a dyed and collaged poncho and a coordinating pair of jeans, with more of the handmade pieces from the runway show arriving throughout the year. Aspiring shoppers can also email the studio directly to inquire about making a purchase at customercare@srstudio.com.

So are these garments fashion or art? Looking at the prices won’t make it any clearer. The Unique collection is expected to fall in the tens of thousands of dollars range, which, while quite expensive, is competitive for both the couture and art markets. “In many respects, outside of the logistics of putting together the collection and the garments—in the kind of production of it—I don’t see it as any different than making a sculpture or painting,” the designer told Vogue’s Luke Leitch at the debut of his collection. “I kind of find that more rewarding. Not that I mind if somebody has a painting and hangs it on the wall, but it is fun to think of something going out into the world and moving, and being something for people to see.”