A similar image also appeared on the front of a shirt. One vest depicted an erect penis sticking out of the wearer’s pants. Simons didn’t shy away from Mapplethorpe’s more graphic images.
They offered glimpses of the expansive scope of Mapplethorpe’s talent.
The photos covered a range of Mapplethorpe’s work, including his portraits and flower pictures, such as “Orchid” from 1982. The clothes, mostly black and white like Mapplethorpe’s images, often acted as frames for the photographs, as in a pair of leather overalls with a Mapplethorpe image sitting squarely in the center, or printed aprons that hung from the waist. But it was Mapplethorpe, best known for his frank portrayal of New York’s gay scene in the 1970s and 1980s, and its affection for leather and bondage, who was the star of the show. The clothes were Simons classics: slim black pants, oversized sweaters, tailored jackets. Simons unveiled the result yesterday (June 16) in Florence, with a collection in which every look bore at least one print of a Mapplethorpe photograph. The designer Raf Simons is a well-known lover of art. He has put references to Rothko, Picasso, and contemporary artist Brian Calvin in his work, and collaborated on a full collection with the multimedia artist Sterling Ruby. He’s also regarded as one of the top fashion designers in the world at the moment, so it makes sense that the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation-established by the photographer himself to protect his work before he died of complications due to AIDS in 1989-reached out to him for a collaboration.