If you're old enough to remember the '80s or if you're a fan of that decade and of photography, you're probably familiar with the supersaturated images shot by artist Cheyco Leidmann.
One of his iconic books from those times - BananaSplit - with graphics by muse, stylist and creative collaborator Ypsitylla von Nazareth, entered the imagination of many at the time with its provocative pictures that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Panini sticker album for Fiorucci.
Vivid splashes of colours and graphic patterns were combined with maximalist hyper-real eye-grabbing images, showing models or close ups of models' bodies clad in brightly colourful leggings, bodysuits and miniskirts, wearing super bright yellow plastic sandals or red PVC and latex suits. In the background you could often see swimming pools and beaches, shiny cars and gas stations.
Since then Leidmann worked on many fashion and beauty editorials and advertising campaigns, while more recently he focused also on different projects with a social twist about them.
Throughout the years many art, music, photography and fashion fans ended up being fascinated by Leidmann's powerful rainbow-like chromatic scale and by his kitsch and garish neon coloured eroticism. Among them there's also Adam Selman.
During New York Fashion Week the designer showcased on his runway a collection that featured garments with screen printed images by Leidmann: the show opened with an oversized shirt with an image of a topless model facing a woman wearing blue spandex leggings and holding a hamburger; it continued with slipdresses and shirts with a hand squeezing fluorescent green slime and a shirt with an allover print of a girl riding an inflatable banana.
A fan of photo books such as Foxy Lady and Banana Split, Selman injected the pop artsy twist that characterised them into his minidresses with puff shoulders, his oversized blazers and faux furs, but the most interesting thing is that the designer didn't stop at reusing some of the most iconic images Leidmann produced, but also moved from the book graphics.
The animalier patterns on tank dresses and V-neck knits were indeed inspired by some of the details in the book; the glossy PVC ensembles also found echoes in the red lacquered nails, lipsticks and leggings; the loose fuchsia dresses matched with electric blue tights were also references to the palette that characterised BananaSplit and one yellow T-shirt also reproduced the trademark stamped title of the book.
In a way it was a fantasy of excess about 1980s America, that, surprisingly, didn't look dated at all as the images haven't aged. Yet Selman should be praised not for recreating the '80s, but for turning to one of the image makers of the times.
How did this collaboration happen?
Cheyco Leidmann: Beauty is in Adam Selman's eyes: he is a long time collector of my vintage prints and books. Apparently he collects them as a projection of his ideas about art, regardless of market trends. In 2017 Adam contacted me with this idea about a collaboration. Things became more concrete at the beginning of this year and I think the result is a blast of how the images and graphics were translated in a super-sexy way onto the garments. Only a genius like him could have handled this. It is always an enormous delight to collaborate with talented top professionals motivated and bound by the synergy arising from the interaction between two stimulating art views.
Can you tell us more about the story behind these images?
Cheyco Leidmann: The story about my early work is that I was lucky to grow up in a time of the American West Coast rock culture. I remember I wanted to do something different. The '80s was a fertile epoch, an explosive moment for me. Foxy Lady was ahead of time: I interpreted this period with its own pacing, rules, emotions and culture by producing images taken on original settings, with built decor, genuine or orchestrated, that had something permanent which put the viewer in contact with the wealth of the image. My style got copied, admired, criticised and - even worse - images got stolen, but the style grew and remains immediately recognisable amongst all. Anything that comes close risks of becoming a Leidmann clone, especially if made by those who persistently hide the source. These are individuals who use ideas of others because they are too poor to create something of their own.
How did you feel when you saw these iconic images on a modern collection?
Ypsitylla von Nazareth: The outcome couldn't be better.
As a stylist, model and muse, do you feel it brought back those times in a contemporary way?
Ypsitylla von Nazareth: Yes, certainly. The mood of the '80s was perfectly translated, the images are timeless, and the designs by Adam Selman, the show styling by Mel Ottenberg and the make-up and hair were in total accordance. One could definitely feel the vibe!
If you could have collaborated with a designer in the '80s who would you have chosen, Fiorucci maybe?
Ypsitylla von Nazareth: Probably yes.
What advice would you give to young designers who want to collaborate with a photographer?
Ypsitylla von Nazareth: Don't steal, copyright infringement is expensive!
Would you like to work on further fashion collaborations?
Ypsitylla von Nazareth: I can see a line of bags, shoes and accessories with eye-catching images of Foxy Lady, BananaSplit and Silicon.
What are you working on at the moment?
Cheyco Leidmann: There are ongoing projects in the make, but I don't want to talk until they are in cement, but you can keep updated about future events on my blog.
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