Designer Creates Outfits that Perfectly Match the Masterpieces She’s Looking At

artfully awear art-inspired clothing artfully aware fashion design

Yayoi Kusama

With masterpieces as her muse, social media manager-turned-artist Ariel Adkins has created Artfully Awear, an Instagram account that exhibits her collection of hand-painted, art-inspired clothing. Playfully composed of colorful and custom-made garments, Artfully Awear simultaneously showcases Adkins’ eye for design, love of Art History, and knack for painting.

Featuring designs directly inspired by some of Adkin’s favorite artists, Artfully Awear puts a fashionable spin on iconic art of the past and present. Spanning Yayoi Kusama’s hypnotizing installations, Matisse’s colorful cut-outs, Chihuly’s ethereal glass sculptures, and Mucha’s mythological muses, the collection of clothing explores both the versatility of art and Adkins’ aesthetic tastes. “I often choose artworks that stand out to me visually, and that represent a theme I’ve been wanting to explore,” Adkins told Creators.

Though Adkins has only been designing the bespoke ensembles since 2010, she has been actively engaged with art her whole life. Prior to creating her own outfits, Adkins would dress in styles, patterns, and color palettes reminiscent of well-known works of art. Soon, however, she decided to take her love of art-inspired fashion a step further. “The switch to making my clothing gave me so much more freedom of expression, and simultaneously launched me on an obsessive path to understand and emulate the techniques of the artists’ whose work inspired me.” Adkins explains. “I’ve always had a deep love of visual art and for me, translating my inspiration into my personal style is the ultimate stamp of approval.”