By Aubry Bozzano & Leah Jayasanker Designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte decided to uniquely accessorize their Spring 2010 Collection using MAC makeup artists alongside their stellar talents. The design duo collaborated with MAC senior artist Chantel Miller and key artist James Kaliardos to create a Maori-inspired geometric tattoo-look. According to Miller, “The idea for the tattoos stemmed from Kate and Laura’s desire to celebrate makeup as art not only for the face, but also for the body in a similar way that Indian culture uses henna. They want women to look at makeup as an accessory for an outfit the way you would a bracelet or a necklace.”
After much collaboration four different full sleeves, one neck and eight half-sleeves of makeup-styled ink totaled 13 creations, all of which evoked feelings of a futuristic tribe. When the time came to bring the designs to life, it took forty artists and four hours to hand paint the body art onto the models. Miller said, “Application is key to creating a body art look like this, so the brushes play an essential part.”
Rodarte’s combined forces with MAC certainly are a perfect example of how artistic collaboration can bring a collection to life on the catwalk.
