CDLP looks to the art world for a limited-edition capsule of workwear-inspired pieces that we'll be donning this season
Swedish design house CDLP is synonymous with essentials. So, when the label’s artistic director Christian Larson got to talking with Syrian-born, Swedish-patriated conceptual artist Jwan Yosef, naturally the topic came up. “What is your essential?” Larson asked of Yosef. "My uniform when I work – I wear it daily," the artist replied.
Yosef, who grew up in Stockholm and is now based between London and Los Angeles (where he lives with husband Ricky Martin and their children), works with a myriad of mediums from sculpture to painting to plastic arts. Undoubtedly messy work. “I’ve gone through painting shirts, painting aprons and so on, until I landed on my basic workman’s onesies, which became a staple for me for years,” Yosef says. “Paints, oils and all mediums ultimately stain this uniform and note the routines of my processes.”
Photo: Courtesy of CDLP
Yosef describes the process of stepping into the onesie every day as something of a ritual. “It is an informal procedure – arriving at the studio, undressing, and dressing into this one-piece that I can go wild with.” The concept of a routine uniform is something that resonates in Yosef’s reading of Scandinavian style, which he cites as his personal aesthetic. “A minimal Swedish approach to clothing has always been my go-to place. I like the idea of style as a uniform, like a signature of one’s persona,” Yosef muses. “I like the idea of repeating tones and clothing to remind your surroundings of who you are,” he goes on. “In many ways, repetition can be viewed as conservative, but at the same time, it is very personal.”
I like the idea of style as a uniform, like a signature of one's persona
Jwan Yosek
This artistic, ritualistic view of dressing is the starting point for the collaboration with CDLP, which comprises a limited-edition line-up of elevated painter’s essentials. It marks a new step forward in CDLP’s growing arsenal of pieces – originating with revitalised men’s underwear, to more recently welcome a wider range of categories, as well as womenswear, sportswear and homewear.
Photo: Courtesy of CDLP
Photo: Courtesy of CDLP
Photo: Courtesy of CDLP
Yosef’s cherished onesie has been reimagined into a tailored Raw Canvas Coverall which is the first ever piece from CDLP to be made locally in Sweden. In a limited run of only 50 pieces, the coverall has been produced at Malmö Industries, a micro-manufacturer and atelier specialising in small-scale, sustainable collections. Alongside are two heavyweight T-shirts in the neutral shades of Desert Sand and Masking Tape (the names both nodding to Yosef’s renowned conceptual works).
The CDLP x Jwan Yosef collaboration will be available from today at CDLP.com