December 1, 2010

Miss Van is not an artist who follows trends. She found fame in the male-dominated world of street art in Toulouse, daubing unapologetically hyper-feminine characters (her poupées) all over the city. It was with this spirit of subversion and independence that Miss Van launched her own fashion label late last year. Eschewing the big brands in favor of local talent, she teamed with Anaoana to create men’s and women’s clothing ranges. The label’s pieces are characterized by a mixture of Miss Van’s iconic characters and more obscure nods to her art work. There are men’s t-shirts emblazoned with ripe bare breasts, silk scarves dotted with willowy women on horseback and harlequin-style watercolor prints on leggings.

Her latest collection finds her remaining characteristically individual in spirit; launched outside the traditional fashion seasons, the range is called Still Summer. Refusing to follow winter themes of coats, jumpers and scarves, it makes a nod to the Barcelona winter, offering brightly colored, celebratory t-shirts. The full collection will be launched at the end of 2010, but a teaser was provided in September by way of three t-shirt designs. If these pieces are anything to go by, the range promises to continue with playful depictions of the circus, women and the female relationship to animals.

To check out the Miss Van & Anaoana collections, you can head to their tantalizing official website. Or, if you want to see the pieces in the flesh, Anaoana has a shop in the Barri Gòtic – the Glint shop – where you can also find pieces from her own collection. Let’s embrace all that is great about Barcelona—its artists, designers and the fact that we are still wearing t-shirts in December.

www.missvan-anaoana.com

www.glintshop.com