In Indianapolis men and women walked side by side down the runway while The Rolling Stones’ music blared from speakers inside the Ritz nightclub on East 11th Street in Manhattan. More than 1,500 spectators sized up the glow-in-the-dark masterpieces under strobe lights, a sheen of sweat gleaming off their necks in the cramped area.
However, this show didn’t happen last week, last year, or even ten years ago. In May 1984, 38 years ago, Stephen Sprouse’s sophomore collection made its premiere. Designer Stephen Sprouse, who is well-known for his Day-Glo jumpsuits and formal attire dripping with graffiti, is the focus of a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired exhibition in Indiana, where he grew up.
“Stephen Sprouse: Rock, Art, Fashion,” opened this month at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. “I hope people come away with an appreciation for just how talented and groundbreaking he was,” said Niloo Paydar, the curator of textile and fashion arts at the museum.
“He was so, so far ahead of his time,” said the rock legend, Debbie Harry.
Sprouse, who passed away in 2004, made a name for himself as a fashion designer in the 1980s with Day-Glo outfits that combined graffiti with cashmere and gave high-end clothing a punk-rock aesthetic.
“Watching him draw was like when you see a Japanese artist doing calligraphy with a brush,” Ms. Harry said. “It had that flow and the beauty of the movement. One of my favorite things to do was just to sit and watch Steve sit down and casually doodle on a piece of paper.” His innovative use of Velcro, Day-Glo hues, mirrored sequins, and high-tech fabrics propelled his designs into the pages of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.
True to Sprouse’s love of all things punk, the exhibition in Indianapolis has a rock concert atmosphere. While viewing Sprouse’s vibrant colors and striking graphic prints, visitors to the exhibition will be able to listen to a playlist of the music he used in his runway shows.
Bradford Sprouse said he hoped it could serve as an introduction to his brother’s work for Midwesterners, many of whom don’t realize the designer, who spent the last 33 years of his life in Manhattan, was from Indiana. Bradford Sprouse was in Indianapolis this month to see a preview of the exhibition and attend a punk concert the museum hosted to celebrate the opening.
“My hope is that they’ll go in there and they’ll get an education, an appreciation and an understanding of who he was and what he did,” he said. “That they come away feeling good about an Indiana artist.”
However, this show didn’t happen last week, last year, or even ten years ago. In May 1984, 38 years ago, Stephen Sprouse’s sophomore collection made its premiere. Designer Stephen Sprouse, who is well-known for his Day-Glo jumpsuits and formal attire dripping with graffiti, is the focus of a rock ‘n’ roll-inspired exhibition in Indiana, where he grew up.
“Stephen Sprouse: Rock, Art, Fashion,” opened this month at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. “I hope people come away with an appreciation for just how talented and groundbreaking he was,” said Niloo Paydar, the curator of textile and fashion arts at the museum.
“He was so, so far ahead of his time,” said the rock legend, Debbie Harry.
Sprouse, who passed away in 2004, made a name for himself as a fashion designer in the 1980s with Day-Glo outfits that combined graffiti with cashmere and gave high-end clothing a punk-rock aesthetic.
“Watching him draw was like when you see a Japanese artist doing calligraphy with a brush,” Ms. Harry said. “It had that flow and the beauty of the movement. One of my favorite things to do was just to sit and watch Steve sit down and casually doodle on a piece of paper.” His innovative use of Velcro, Day-Glo hues, mirrored sequins, and high-tech fabrics propelled his designs into the pages of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.
True to Sprouse’s love of all things punk, the exhibition in Indianapolis has a rock concert atmosphere. While viewing Sprouse’s vibrant colors and striking graphic prints, visitors to the exhibition will be able to listen to a playlist of the music he used in his runway shows.
Bradford Sprouse said he hoped it could serve as an introduction to his brother’s work for Midwesterners, many of whom don’t realize the designer, who spent the last 33 years of his life in Manhattan, was from Indiana. Bradford Sprouse was in Indianapolis this month to see a preview of the exhibition and attend a punk concert the museum hosted to celebrate the opening.
“My hope is that they’ll go in there and they’ll get an education, an appreciation and an understanding of who he was and what he did,” he said. “That they come away feeling good about an Indiana artist.”
