Art and fashion have always been intertwined, and this year’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection from Ulla Johnson is no exception. The designer has gone in a more artistic direction by collaborating with Brooklyn painter Shara Hughes on a series of fantastic dresses and soft tailoring inspired by color-soaked Surrealist landscapes.
Art has always been a huge inspiration for Ulla Johnson. This season, she has collaborated with Brooklyn-based painter Shara Hughes, known for her treatment of color and landscape in a psychedelic and distorted nature. Johnson showcased her collection at Powerhouse Arts, a former Brooklyn Rapid Transit powerhouse transformed into an art studio and exhibition space. The open runway featured circular sand paintings, an installation by Johnson herself, setting the stage for a collection inspired by fine arts.
Shara Hughes recently unveiled a show at the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles, where Johnson opened a new flagship designed by Kelly Wearstler last month. This collaboration reflects the mutual admiration between the two artists and their shared appreciation for color and landscape.
Ulla Johnson has seen a growing demand for eveningwear from her customers, and she addressed this demand by showcasing frothy ruffled organza dresses in marbled chevron patterns or watercolor florals trailing unraveling garlands on the runway. Other highlights included bias-cut lace and silk charmeuse slip dresses and a pink Lurex jacquard volume gala gown.
In addition to the eveningwear, the collection featured slouchy zebra-stripe silk charmeuse pants, prism-embroidered raffia fringe tanks, featherweight ruffled knits, and denim and poplin pieces in gorgeous colors, reflecting a sportier, separates-driven mood.
The collection as a whole felt easy and elevated, less Bali and more arty eclectic, focusing on sculptural shapes and volumes.
Read more: Ulla Johnson footwear set to flourish with new global licensing agreement
©Photo: Ulla Johnson
