Everyone knows them, the colorful and expressive figures of the artist Keith Haring – barking dogs, crawling babies, jumping people and shining hearts.
The American’s unique drawings are widespread and adorn several collections from a wide variety of fashion labels: by Dr. Martens to Uniqlo, from shoes to T-shirts and sweatpants.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1958, the artist became famous for his chalk drawings in New York subway stations in the 1980s. His works are characterized by a graphic style that is determined by simple, rhythmic lines. His large-scale murals were often accompanied by comments that drew attention to the social problems of the time.
Haring always pursued one goal in his career: to make art accessible to a broad public. In New York, for example, he joined an alternative art scene that moved outside the gallery and museum system and, in addition to the subways, also used the streets of the city and rooms in clubs to express its art.
Many fashion brands are now bringing the clear, moving figures of the artist, who died of AIDS in 1990, from wall paintings and art prints to clothing.
British shoe retailer Dr. Martens chose the artist collaboration to pay tribute to the American’s work. The four-part collection is adorned with Haring’s main motifs, such as the “Angelic Baby” or “Flying Bat”. However, two designs also feature all-over patterns, based on the extensive murals by Haring, in which symbols and figures merge. “The artist Keith Haring embodies the Dr. Martens Mindset, ”the company writes in a press release.
The Swedish sneaker label Axel Arigato also launched a casual collection in neutral colors, with Haring’s running red heart running through the entire collection.
The Swedish clothing manufacturer H&M, on the other hand, opted for colorful designs that combine a wide variety of figures in bright colors. Simpler parts have been given large prints of the artist’s signature.
In collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation, the Berlin streetwear magazine Highsnobiety also created a collection with the artist’s pictures. As a homage to one of his most important works, human figures, connected by the feet and hands, adorn the parts of the collection. This is exactly the motif that the American painted in 1986 on the Berlin Wall, which at the time was still dividing Germany.
The connectedness of the figures in the colors of the German flag symbolize the striving for unity between people. Haring was a political person who combined his activism, opinion and art. The political meaning of his works is said to exist beyond his death, and also beyond the physical existence of his murals. By transferring the motifs to clothing and shoes, his legacy is preserved and with it the examination of Haring’s activism and socially relevant issues.
