FEATURE
Loud & proud: Art collaboration
with Tyler Wallach
By Rebag, July 31, 2018
Catch a glimpse of artist and designer Tyler Wallach
behind the scenes as he paints his bold and colorful designs on an exclusive Rebag selection, including a Ferragamo Amy tote, a Louis Vuitton Neverfull, a Celine Tie Knot tote, a Prada Parabole handbag, and the holy grail… a tricolor Hermès Birkin 35.
Tyler Wallach describes his studio as “the 1988 lovechild of Keith Haring and Lisa Frank” which absolutely delivers. Wallach, an artist and designer based in Brooklyn, is recognized for his use of loud colors and street art characters both painted and printed on canvas, clothing, jewelry, and more. As a prominent supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, Wallach has been known to make charitable contributions by way of art donations, of which 100% of the proceeds would go to the foundations.
In his collaboration with Rebag, Wallach used acrylic paints to apply his vision to select pieces from the Rebag collection, including a Salvatore Ferragamo Amy tote, a Louis Vuitton Neverfull, a Celine Tie Knot tote, a Prada Parabole handbag, and the holy grail… a tricolor Hermes Birkin 35 in togo leather with palladium hardware.
For any artist, it would be nerve-racking to paint on a handbag that typically costs around eight to nine-thousand dollars, if not more. For Wallach, however, his process doesn’t loan itself to any hemming or hawing. “Specifically the way that I work [is] in the same style of my idol Keith Haring,” Wallach explains. “He doesn’t really do any planning. That’s just the way I’ve always done my art.”
Wallach’s Birkin re-mastering is complete with geometric shapes in bold blues, yellows, and reds, with his classic drip design in a stark black running down the edge of the opening flap. In true Haring-inspired fashion, the eccentric and amusing characters are jauntily dancing across the front façade of the bag with large smiles and wide eyes. Wallach’s characters make other appearances in the Prada and Ferragamo bags, while the Louis Vuitton and Celine feature cartoonish drips.
Wallach certainly speaks fondly of the collaboration. “I think that luxury items are fantastic, and they have a really great place in our society,” he says, “but the idea of graffiti-ing it, or changing it, and manipulating it in a way to make it truly one of a kind, absolutely increases the value.”
