Alex Steele makes wearable art, with each of her pieces a part of a limited edition. As such, Steel makes sure that her hand is involved from start to finish, whether it’s fabric dyeing, painting or printing.
Known for her bold designs and a minimal aesthetic, Steele hopes to empower her clients and boost their confidence through her unique clothes. Her collection includes dungarees, dresses, shoes, and even pieces of jewelry, all unique.
But her journey to fashion was a long one. “I started out painting shirts with bleach as a fun craft that quickly grew into a production of painting designs in multiples,” she recalled in an interview with Rue Magazine. “I focused my background in fine art towards creating art that you can wear because it was important to me to make art a daily expression. I believe dressing yourself to feel like you are actually wearing a piece of art promotes confidence.”
From painting apparel, she expanded her wearable art into jewelry which incorporated her interest in sculpture. Working with bleach lead her also to experiment with the different outcomes of black dyes, which in turn inspired her to braid the fabric into bands for necklaces to achieve a textured look.
“Since I am making everything by hand, I remain close to my collection because each piece undoubtedly has its own unique variation,” she explains. “Also, because of all the different mediums I work with, I am able to go back and forth between materials and processes to break up some of the repetition.”
Take a look at some of her unique products in the gallery below.
