Prawns, Cucumbers & Grapefruit?
Welcome to artist Nel Miller’s latest fashion collection
Words by Nel Miller
When I was at university, I studied painting and got into screen printing fabrics and making clothes in my free time. When I left uni, I worked as a Specialist Painting Assistant to Damien Hirst. After a while I felt really frustrated that I had no time to make my own work so I left. I wanted to combine my interest in painting, fashion and printing. That’s really what led me to make my first collection. My process begins with my own large-scale paintings, which I photograph and transform into patterns. These are then digitally printed onto different fabrics. The style of the pieces is pretty classic and timeless. I like to keep them quite simple so the patterns can dominate.
I’ve always enjoyed how good food looks! When I’m looking for something to paint I often have a look in my fridge to see if there’s anything that interests me. A piece of fruit or a slice of fish is a funny little chunky, sculptural object with so many different details and textures to explore. It’s also constantly changing — so I can paint the same thing a few days later.
For this collection I decided to paint food because I wanted to create patterns that were really bold and fun and maybe a bit odd or unexpected. When I’m painting I’m really drawn to shiny surfaces; plastics and porcelains etc. Food has a similar sliminess that’s fun to paint and interesting to look at. I looked for foods that had lots of intricate detail and I was really drawn to all the hidden cross-sections revealed when you slice into something. I couldn’t resist prawns, I always feel like prawns look way too good to be eaten.
I like to see the patterns once they are printed onto the fabrics. The initial painting stage can be pretty messy so it’s fun to see them with fresh eyes; transformed into patterns and printed. The silk is really good at showing tiny details so that nothing is lost in the printing process. It also gives them quite a lustrous sheen, which works nicely when you think of the sliminess of the food in the first place.
I don’t like the idea of designing for a specific age. I don’t want to reach an age and feel like I have to start dressing more sensibly. So I’d say my clothes are for all ages, anyone who is a creative dresser, someone who likes to wear something a bit fun — who has a good sense of humour about the clothes they wear!
