ARTIST STERLING RUBY RELEASES SECOND COLLECTION FROM HIS NEW BRAND S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA.

S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. has launched the second delivery of its collection. Accompanying the second delivery is a new editorial of images titled “Cutting. Floor. Ground. Table.”, shot by Sterling Ruby documenting different areas of the studio where textile cutting and arrangements take place. 

The ready-to-wear clothing and accessories collection by American artist Sterling Ruby evolved from years of textile and garment experimentation and development. The brand premiered as special guest of Pitti Uomo 96 in Florence, Italy in June.

The second delivery of the collection brings with it the retail debut of “Unique”, one of four distinct fashion identities which together comprise the label’s umbrella collective. The first Unique release available for purchase at ssense.com, the Unique (6409) poncho and trouser pairing is a one-of-a-kind artwork designed and realized by Ruby. Each garment is hand-treated, cut and signed by the artist; together, the pieces become part of an artistic series rendered in a textile medium, and are assigned a unique inventory number and cataloged within Sterling Ruby Studio’s archive of official artwork. Unique is mixed together instinctively, democratically, and without hierarchy with S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA., the mainline; ED. 50, a rotating edition of limited items produced in quantities of 50; and Soto, garments constructed with fabric hand-worked by Sterling Ruby Studio in Los Angeles, California.

Included in this second offering are a Soto barn coat, long-sleeved button-down shirt, and raver pants all hand-dyed and hand-bleached, resulting in motifs which are singular to every piece. Fabrics are exposed to multiple treatments of dyeing, washing, and rinsing to distress and weather; the processes of each leaving a distinct trace on the clothing, altering both aesthetic values and the fiber itself, working a narrative into the fabric. For this collection, these processes have also been applied to fine silk as seen in an S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. emerald green long-sleeve prairie dress and oversized shirt with pleating detail at the back.

Inspired by the history of the West Coast denim industry, the hard-wearing, workwear textile is expressed in three iterations. White denim is the canvas for a similar hand-dyed motif in a Soto cropped jacket and jeans. Black denim is treated with a mineral wash for an S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. gathered dress with billowing sleeves and tie details; a gathered top and wide-leg pant are rendered in the same material. Utilitarian jeans and button-front shirting with contrast stitching give form to indigo denim.

Elsewhere, Ruby’s sculptures are here translated to clothing, with a custom flag print adapted from his artwork appearing in long- and short-sleeved ED. 50 t-shirts. The offering is rounded out with a range of relaxed-fit sweatpants, sweatshirts, and t-shirts showcasing Ruby’s ‘Vampire Sunrise’ and ‘California State Fault’ graphics in black and Cadmium yellow.

To celebrate the second delivery, S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. has also partnered with SSENSE to create an editorial illustrating the passing of time and the movement between day and night. Explore the SSENSE editorial which also features commissioned words by Ruby, in a format similar to his text-based poster artwork series now on ssense.com.

The second delivery of S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. is available now exclusively on srstudio.com and ssense.com.