Parisian label Verlan is renowned for its limited edition streetwear-inspired staples that range from sweatshirts to jeans, all characterised by timeless design, subtle detailing and top-notch construction.
Now, the brand is taking things one step further and lending its expert craftsmanship to a good cause. Verlan's new 'Art for All' program is an initiative that aims to promote art and its accessibility via a series of non-profit collaborations with international artists and collectives, such as the Kourtrajmé School, Kendell Geers and Cinga Samson.
For each project, Verlan provides the artist or collective with a heavyweight organic cotton T-shirt that serves as a blank canvas for them to decorate and design as they wish. The first collaboration in the series is with French artist Marie Hazard, who has created an original artwork from a combination of linen, angora and polyester threads, woven together to create a delicate net. Of the inspiration behind her artwork, Marie says, "A net itself has deep symbolic meaning to me: representing interconnectedness, vacant spaces, structure and both strength and fragility at once".
The T-shirts, of which only 110 have been produced, are numbered by hand and signed by Marie on the inside care label. All profits will be going to support cultural projects run by a non-profit organisation called Le Korsa, in the Tambacounda region of South-East Senegal. These projects include art classes for young women and support for artists within a cultural centre for local inhabitants of the rural village of Sinthian. Marie says, "I have not met the people in the Tambacounda region, but I share a common thread with the artists there: we all take joy from transforming simple materials into artworks.”
In a hectic fast-fashion obsessed society of endless mindless consumption, this is fashion that you can feel good about. Whether you decide to wear it or display it as art, the T-shirt will stand the test of time and serve as a reminder of a wider purpose.
Learn more about Marie Hazard's collaborative 'Art for All' T-shirts.
Read our interview with Verlan founder Lucca Lamoine.
