ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Fashion Designers Collaborate with Artists Using Digital Printing for Haute Couture

other · 2026-04-20

Raf Simons, the designer for Dior, paid tribute to Sterling Ruby's spray paintings by incorporating custom silk prints in his haute couture line, showcasing colors reminiscent of toxic waste. This partnership builds on their earlier collaboration in 2009, when Ruby treated denim for Simons's menswear collection. Simons considers Ruby's 2005 piece 'Anti Print 3' a groundbreaking challenge to minimalism. The evolution of digital printing has enabled fresh collaborations between artists and designers. For instance, Pedro Lourenço teamed up with Kon Trubkovich to produce prints for his collection. Since 2009, Linder Sterling has partnered with Richard Nicoll, digitally transferring her collages onto Stella dresses. Sterling is also designing costumes for her performance 'The Ultimate Form' at Hepworth Wakefield, scheduled from February 16 to May 12, 2013, with a performance on May 11.

Key facts

  • Raf Simons created Dior haute couture dresses with bespoke silk prints inspired by Sterling Ruby's spray paintings.
  • Sterling Ruby and Raf Simons first collaborated in 2009 on a denim-bleaching project for Simons's menswear range.
  • Digital printing allows for flexible, non-repeating imagery in fashion, enabling new artist-designer collaborations.
  • Pedro Lourenço used Kon Trubkovich's images to create original prints for his collection after visiting Trubkovich's New York studio.
  • Kon Trubkovich found fashion collaborations liberating but avoided bringing kinetic qualities into his studio work to prevent clichés.
  • Linder Sterling has collaborated with Richard Nicoll since 2009, printing her collages onto dresses that align with the wearer's body.
  • Linder Sterling's exhibition at Hepworth Wakefield runs from February 16 to May 12, 2013, with a performance on May 11.
  • Linder Sterling also has a two-person exhibition with Tom Burr at Stuart Shave/Modern Art in London until May 25, 2013.

Entities

Artists

  • Raf Simons
  • Sterling Ruby
  • Pedro Lourenço
  • Kon Trubkovich
  • Linder Sterling
  • Richard Nicoll
  • Tom Burr

Institutions

  • Dior
  • Bucol
  • Jil Sander
  • Hepworth Wakefield
  • Stuart Shave/Modern Art
  • ArtReview
  • Grazia

Locations

  • France
  • New York
  • United States
  • Brazil
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Wakefield

Sources