With the opening of his new showroom in Deep Ellum, Dallas artist Jerod DTOX Davies is looking forward to raising the visibility of his lesser-known work in fashion.
Long acclaimed in Deep Ellum and beyond for his murals, album covers, and more, Davies will now give a wider audience a look at his fashion line, Artwork for Humans, which he calls "wearable art that upcycles clothing and uplifts the human spirit."
His Artwork for Humans Showroom, at 3001 Canton St., will open to the public officially on Saturday, March 18.
Now in its sixth year, the fashion line was Davies' brainstorm as he shopped in local thrift stores.
"I was always buying on a budget, shopping in thrift stores," Davies says. "Regardless of the label on it, I could spot the quality of it. So I started flipping thrift store clothes."
Sometimes Davies would spy an exceptional piece, like a vintage London Fog trench coat with a stain or other visible flaw, and this sparked an idea: he tried painting over garment flaws to create wearable art.
As the idea developed, he brought his own identity as an artist to the clothing. The lines of the graphics he paints are simple, and he adds uplifting words and phrases to the garments, as well.
Davies says he wants to "take a beautiful (or not beautiful) piece of clothing and inject creative intent into it" by mixing the power of encouraging imagery and encouraging words. He calls himself "sadistically optimistic" and wants the clothing to affect more than just the wearer.
"After you see it or just pass by it, you’re left with the resonance of that clothing," he says.
It's also not lost on him that by working with thrifted clothing, he's helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the fashion industry. Globally, the fashion industry is responsible for 8 to 10% of global carbon dioxide output.
In his six years of creating his wearable art, Davies' garments have been favored by local musicians from Cameron McCloud to Erykah Badu, who wore a sweatshirt Davies created especially for her at her recent birthday party.
The new showroom is the next step for Davies, providing one space to display his art and another space for a "boutique" for Artwork for Humans. After the grand opening, he'll open the boutique on Sunday afternoons for walk-ins and on Wednesdays by appointment.
The grand opening celebration is set for Saturday, March 18 from 2 to 8 pm; it is free and open to the public.
Kristina Rowe
Artwork for Humans has been shown at popups, but now has a permanent home. Custom pieces are available too.
Davies invites attendees to wear or bring a light colored hoodie, sweater, or jacket to the event and he'll "tag" it live at the party.
