Imitation of Christ is a

conceptual art Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...

project and

fashion label Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

started by former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

art students Matthew Damhave and Tara Subkoff. The project initially began as an art collective, evolving into a fashion line made up of entirely recycled pieces of clothing, which Subkoff and others hand-sewed. The group enacted " guerrilla"-style fashion shows, with models including Scarlett Johansson and

Chloë Sevigny Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of se ...

. In 2007, Subkoff sold the brand, but re-adopted it under the shortened title Imitation in 2012.

History

Original conception: 2000–2006

Tara Subkoff Imitation of Christ by David Shankbone edited-1

Originally conceived as an

art collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the needs ...

in 2000, Imitation of Christ was founded by former art students Tara Subkoff and Matthew Damhave. Subkoff had dropped out of art school and had worked as an actress prior to forming the project. The project, according to Subkoff, was quickly "confused" by many to be a fashion line, which led to the pair designing a total of four collections together before Damhave left the project in 2001. Named after the fifteenth-century devotional text of the same name, as well as a

Psychedelic Furs Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

song, their shows were theatrical, political (one season, they demanded money from guests and donated it to charities), while simultaneously intriguing fashion editors with beautiful clothes. In its earliest forms, Subkoff appointed

as the line's creative director. The exhibitions were described as guerrilla in style, with their early shows being held in a

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in the

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's East Village. Models who wore the pieces for runway shows included actress Scarlett Johansson, and included both men's and women's pieces. Every piece of clothing in the line was sewn by hand and recycled from

vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

, thrift and Goodwill shops. Subkoff created pieces of

wearable art Wearable art, also known as Artwear or "art to wear", refers to art pieces in the shape of clothing or jewellery pieces. These pieces are usually handmade, and are produced only once or as a very limited series. Pieces of clothing are often made w ...

with her fashion shows which garnered her a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. In reflecting on the line's ethos, Subkoff said:

We were talking about
waste Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...
, throwing things away, and taking something that's old and making it new again, putting the human hand back into a world that wreaks of manufacturing. It felt very appropriate to do that in 2000. When we started it was such a different time. You could talk about issues like
globalization Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
; you could talk about free trade. Then
September 11th Events Pre-1600 * 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hun ...
happened and the entire world changed. Everything became irrelevant. Everything we were saying and doing became so overshadowed by fear and false patriotism.

Hiatus; sale of company: 2005–2008

In 2005, it was reported that Subkoff had put the company, which was operating under the fashion label Opening Ceremony, on hiatus. In retrospect, Subkoff said: "There was a massive amount of confusion about its original incarnation. The name got so big, and it appeared to be such a giant success, but like most things that are artistic and creative and amazing, it was never this financial powerhouse. It was an art project." According to Subkoff, she had to work four other jobs, including a shoe collaboration with

Easy Spirit Nine West Holdings (formerly The Jones Group and Jones Apparel Group) is an American designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded clothing, shoes and accessories. In 2019, the company restructured under and is renamed Premier Brands Group Holdin ...

and consulting for Sara Lee Apparel in order to keep the company financially afloat. Between 2006 and 2007, the label was sold to Josh Sparks, former CEO of the Australian brand Sass & Bide, for a reported $2 million, but went under within a year. In 2008, it was reported that Subkoff had wanted to re-purchase the label after it went bankrupt.

Re-branding: 2011–present

In 2011, after recovering from extensive

brain surgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...

after being diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma, Subkoff announced that she would be reviving the label independently, bringing it back to its "most basic incarnation: easy-to-wear staples with an edge." She also stated that she had shortened the name of the label to Imitation. She released a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

showcasing new pieces she'd designed in 2011. The re-launched Imitation label held its first fashion show in 2012.

References

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External links