Keith Haring, Miami, and the Art of Fashion

Every year, over 4,000 artists and tens of thousands of art lovers, curators, critics, and gallerists from around the globe converge on Miami for Art Basel (ArtBasel.com) and Aqua Art Miami (AquaArtMiami.com). Happening again December 5-9, Aqua Art Miami is a more intimate fair, lately becoming a top destination for collectors and aficionados to procure works by young, emerging, and mid-career artists. And it’s always popular with LGBT travelers, thanks to its location at the classic South Beach hotel, Aqua (AquaMiami.com). Even better: Its history of supporting poz artists.

Last year, Morphew, an inspirational lifestyle brand that sources the greatest pieces of fashion’s past from around the globe, did an exhibit that appealed not just to art and fashion fans but also those living with HIV. At Aqua Art Miami, Morphew’s collaboration offered up some of history’s most avant-garde fashion items including Jean Charles de Castelbajac’s Teddy Bear jacket, Gianni Versace’s Warhol, Marilyn, and James Dean dress, and a Keith Haring x Stephen Sprouse denim suit — all at a “shoppable” installation dedicated to and inspired by Keith Haring and his Pop Shop.

Fashion and art always have been collaborators, so in the exhibit, “Which Comes First, the Art or the Fashion?” Morphew (also the parent company of fashion consulting business Paradox) showcased the ways in which these two worlds coexist. The space was themed around the installation dedicated to Haring and featured a philanthropic collaboration with Kara Ross and UNLEASHED — a global social impact brand that provides women the opportunity to break the poverty cycle through education and job creation. Three original works created by women from Bareilly, India, who are experts in the art of hand beading were incorporated into Morphew’s luxury fashion designs and were available for purchase, with proceeds donated back to the women through UNLEASHED (Unleashed-World.com).

Curators of the installation (ShopMorphew.com) created a series of bold and striking images to accompany the project taken at Haring’s partner store in New York, which the editors of Plus loved so much we wanted to share here.

Photography by Sam Dahman
Model: Aba Mfrase-Ewur
Makeup and hair: Anthony Tulve
Clothes and styling: Morphew + Artwork & location: Little Angel