Play with yr clothes!
Nicole McLaughlin finds fun in unlikely places
Nicole McLaughlin: In just a few years she’s established herself as a wild “upcycling” visionary, pushing used-jawn deconstruction to its conceptual limits with a series of creations that can be funny… outlandish… ingenious… cheeky 😏… and borderline tWiStEd…
Based in Brooklyn, Nicole made her name on IG starting in 2017, posting reworked garments like shoes made out of IKEA bags, shorts made out of Haribo wrappers, and bras made out of Jansports (also, lemon juicers, croissants, and sanitizing-wipe dispensers…) She got so popping that she gave her graphic-design dayjob the HEAVE-HO so she could whip up these cool whimsical objets full-time, making audacious s**t for brands like Crocs (below left) and Hermès (above left) along the way...
Also?? This month Arc’teryx brought on Nicole as their first-ever “design ambassador” — among other things, she’ll lead public workshops on how to transform “one man’s trash” into “another man’s big-gas slapper.”
Nicole’s taste levels are Mach 5 at a minimum, so the other day we asked her to tell us about some rare & cherished possessions. She scanned her Bushwick studio for possibilities — and located some d*mn gems …
Blackbird Spyplane is a cool rare miracle and it’s 100% subscriber supported — smash the upgrade & enjoy life in the inner $anctum today.
🌼🌸❀✿🌷 Jonah & Erin
Blackbird Spyplane: There’s a fun back-and-forth in yr stuff between “conceptual” and “functional” — where do u see yr work falling on that spectrum?