Haute Ink
an article by Anna J. Stainsby
photography by Zoe Zimmerman In an industry that thrives on its temporality, the permanence of its latest trend seems, at least at first glance, unexpected. It’s only in considering the semblance of the innovators that produce both art forms that the recent marriage between high fashion and tattooing is, if anything, an overdue collaboration between artistic forces. At the peak of both technological innovation uncovered by tattoo artists and their capitalization of social media, the ink community has widened to anyone who can hit “follow” on a phone. And within the millions whose feeds are graced with work from the likes of Dr. Woo, Bang Bang, and JonBoy, many are members of the fashion community. Scrolling through an artist’s page is the modern version of flipping through flash books in a studio— it’s art that has a way to inspire and to spark creativity. Although not everyone chooses to get tattooed, ink isn’t always the point for creatives– collaboration is. Designers are inviting artists to sit front row at their shows and to work behind the scenes, stylists are taking inspiration from tattoo designs for editorials, and models are taking advantage of the fine line technology with which artists can decorate their bodies without hurting their careers. 23 | FASHION
While fraternization between designers and tattoo artists may seem novel, it has been one in the making for years. In 1994, avant-garde designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier sent pieces down the runway accessorized with temporary tattoos around the models’ waists. Reprised a few years later was the idea of decorating clothing and accessories with tattoo designs. In 2008, Gaultier did it with traditional Japanese designs. The next year, Chanel decorated models with temporary pearl garters (later made commercial and insanely successful). In 2011, Marc Jacobs collaborated with the man who inks him, Scott Campbell, for his Spring/Summer line. With the success and widening of opportunities for tattoo artists in the past few years, it was just a matter of time before the two art communities merged again. In January, V Magazine released an editorial featuring supermodels Lara Stone, Joan Smalls, and Kendall Jenner, clad in temporary tattoos designed by artist Jenai Chin. The goal was to play with the idea of the permanence of ink and the permanence of the newest line of supermodels.
