Drop #2Spring 2022Brooklyn
CAMELLA EHLKE: HEY WHAT’S UP?
In 2019, CAMELLA Ehlke and Virgil Abloh began a conversation ranging from his respect for her pioneering blueprint to fuse art, fashion, and design with her streetwear label 555Soul to how she could refresh the beloved Eames molded plywood chair.
Though Ehlke exited her company in 2004, she continues to explore ways to repurpose textiles, mixing and matching, fraying and pleating — which Abloh coined “the crash of fabrics.” The Off-White™ designer generously shipped his surplus and sample yardage from his Milan fabric house and kickstarted Ehlke’s artistic practice of one-of-a-kind outfits for chairs.
Camella Ehlke: HEY WHAT’S UP? is the debut...
In 2019, CAMELLA Ehlke and Virgil Abloh began a conversation ranging from his respect for her pioneering blueprint to fuse art, fashion, and design with her streetwear label 555Soul to how she could refresh the beloved Eames molded plywood chair.
Though Ehlke exited her company in 2004, she continues to explore ways to repurpose textiles, mixing and matching, fraying and pleating — which Abloh coined “the crash of fabrics.” The Off-White™ designer generously shipped his surplus and sample yardage from his Milan fabric house and kickstarted Ehlke’s artistic practice of one-of-a-kind outfits for chairs.
Camella Ehlke: HEY WHAT’S UP? is the debut collection of nineteen chairs featuring wearables sewn and weaved with overstock fabrics and recycled garments. Working with found and donated furniture, Ehlke stitches an inventive group of playful characters born out of her ethos for sustainability, community, and humor. The artworks demonstrate a unique perspective of integrating streetwear language into soft sculptural forms and blur the boundary of functional vs. nonfunctional.
The collection comprises six different themes: Ladies of Leisure flaunt frilly slipcovers providing a new profile for the classic Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair; the One Love Community are vintage ice cream chairs wrapped with shoelaces and beads inspired by Brooklyn’s One Love Community Fridge; the Hoodie Series is “fleece couture” made from surplus hoodies; Pocketman includes a covering overwhelmed with pockets that folds and packs into a matching tote bag; Pleats On Pleats is a homage to Ehlke’s idol Issey Miyake; and the Gubi Grace Chairs embrace deconstructed denim that wears beautifully with age like the rattan of Tove Kindt-Larsen’s design.
The showcase Camella Ehlke: HEY WHAT’S UP? is made possible by the encouragement of Virgil Abloh & Off-White™ and support from GUBi & Stanley Lumax, Diageo, and Tankhouse. Thank you, Awake NY, Jordan Nike, MillerKnoll, Noah, Total Luxury Spa, Community Spirit Co, and Sanzo. A portion of the proceeds from Ehlke's artwork sales will benefit One Love Community Fridge.
Collection photo credit: Cynthia Edorh
In 2019, CAMELLA Ehlke and Virgil Abloh began a conversation ranging from his respect for her pioneering blueprint to fuse art, fashion, and design with her streetwear label 555Soul to how she could refresh the beloved Eames molded plywood chair.
Though Ehlke exited her company in 2004, she continues to explore ways to repurpose textiles, mixing and matching, fraying and pleating — which Abloh coined “the crash of fabrics.” The Off-White™ designer generously shipped his surplus and sample yardage from his Milan fabric house and kickstarted Ehlke’s artistic practice of one-of-a-kind outfits for chairs.
Camella Ehlke: HEY WHAT’S UP? is the debut...
In 2019, CAMELLA Ehlke and Virgil Abloh began a conversation ranging from his respect for her pioneering blueprint to fuse art, fashion, and design with her streetwear label 555Soul to how she could refresh the beloved Eames molded plywood chair.
Though Ehlke exited her company in 2004, she continues to explore ways to repurpose textiles, mixing and matching, fraying and pleating — which Abloh coined “the crash of fabrics.” The Off-White™ designer generously shipped his surplus and sample yardage from his Milan fabric house and kickstarted Ehlke’s artistic practice of one-of-a-kind outfits for chairs.
Camella Ehlke: HEY WHAT’S UP? is the debut collection of nineteen chairs featuring wearables sewn and weaved with overstock fabrics and recycled garments. Working with found and donated furniture, Ehlke stitches an inventive group of playful characters born out of her ethos for sustainability, community, and humor. The artworks demonstrate a unique perspective of integrating streetwear language into soft sculptural forms and blur the boundary of functional vs. nonfunctional.
The collection comprises six different themes: Ladies of Leisure flaunt frilly slipcovers providing a new profile for the classic Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair; the One Love Community are vintage ice cream chairs wrapped with shoelaces and beads inspired by Brooklyn’s One Love Community Fridge; the Hoodie Series is “fleece couture” made from surplus hoodies; Pocketman includes a covering overwhelmed with pockets that folds and packs into a matching tote bag; Pleats On Pleats is a homage to Ehlke’s idol Issey Miyake; and the Gubi Grace Chairs embrace deconstructed denim that wears beautifully with age like the rattan of Tove Kindt-Larsen’s design.
The showcase Camella Ehlke: HEY WHAT’S UP? is made possible by the encouragement of Virgil Abloh & Off-White™ and support from GUBi & Stanley Lumax, Diageo, and Tankhouse. Thank you, Awake NY, Jordan Nike, MillerKnoll, Noah, Total Luxury Spa, Community Spirit Co, and Sanzo. A portion of the proceeds from Ehlke's artwork sales will benefit One Love Community Fridge.
Collection photo credit: Cynthia Edorh
VIRGIL AND I WERE A CONSTANT RIVER OF IDEAS FLOWING....HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON I SPOKE TO ABOUT WORKING WITH BRANDS’ OVERSTOCK, AND HE WAS THE FIRST TO SAY YES.
— CAMELLA