daniel arsham launches 'objects IV life', his fashion brand of responsible sourcing & recycling

daniel arsham and his fashion brand ‘objects IV life’

The fragrance of paradox rouses the senses of artist Daniel Arsham’s body of works, so much that rather than solely focusing on massive-scale, interactive sculptures and installations – such as his Divided Layers installation for Kohler during Milan Design Week 2022 – he expands his repertoire by launching his own fashion label, Objects IV Life. He posts about his new project on Instagram, writing that his label is an endless assembly of research, inquiry, and exploration, comprising foundation pieces intending to build a wardrobe of uniforms for a creative way of life.

He adds that the introductory pieces were designed between New York City and London, all of their garments sourced in Portugal and Los Angeles with custom hardware coming from Italy. The artist and founder reveals that he has started to understand his label the same way he thinks about his sculptures, which he compares with alchemy. ‘Many of the materials are deadstock and all the hardware is made from recycled metal that is made into a patina. It is a very personal project. These are the clothes I feel most comfortable in. I cannot wait to see it out in the world,’ he continues.

Images from Objects IV Life

Daniel Arsham’s introduction

To introduce the launch of the brand, Objects IV Life released Chapter 1, the pilot line it dubs as the beginning of the brand’s journey. The label considered the first series as the pieces and materials laying the groundwork for its future foundations and designs. It believes that the pieces exude elegance and functionality of workwear intertwined with fabrics sourced with attention and care to the environment and affected communities. ‘We commence our mission to transcend the trend cycle and create garments to last a lifetime,’ the brand believes.

The pioneering collection includes vintage wide-leg jeans made with deadstock cotton originally woven in Japan, signature Objects IV Life multi-metal hardware, angled pockets that continue into the waistband, asymmetric ‘thought bubble’ reinforcement patch, largely exaggerated hem, and hand-stamped branding. The Moleskin Shirt Jacket is constructed in GOTS certified organic cotton, sleeves lined in Ecoveo, four pockets, contrast elbow patches, left chest pocket shaped in signature bubble style with bomber jacket zip construction, back yoke vent with breathable mesh under-layer and hand-stamped branding, and is lightly padded with 100% recycled polyester insulation wadding.

For accessories, a deadstock-cotton canvas tote bag is made ultra-durable with heavy-duty construction and in 100% cotton thread allowing greater ease in recycling and fiber separation at the end of the garment life. It features internal pockets, hand-stamped branding, and signature reinforced logo stitching, with the label branding printed internally to limit additional components that could impede the garment recycling process, as the brand puts it. From this series, more will soon come, all touching upon the beliefs of Arsham to produce clothing with artisanal quality and selection.

Daniel Arsham dedicates his brand ‘Objects IV Life’ to responsible sourcing and recycling

daniel arsham’s principles in ‘objects IV life’

Inspired by principles of timelessness and craftsmanship, the artist and founder of the label has now stepped into an industry typified by novelty and throwaway excess, taking up the challenge to amplify his signature as an artist through clothing and to experiment with the global demands puncturing the fashion industry in this era. Yet founding a fashion brand does not steer Arsham away from his ongoing exploration of time distortion. Instead, Objects IV Life seals the expansion of this practice by using deadstock fabrics to reimagine perennial style staples, a process of material transformation that attunes so well with his opus.

The rejection of fast-paced and tone-deaf manufacturing methods of the fashion world informs Arsham to imbue his garments with an artist’s patina, turning his guiding principle of circularity into both process and philosophy that Objects IV Life strives, above all, to offer responsibly-made clothing, crafted to stand the test of time. Based on the brand’s ethos, it reimagines fashion through the eyes of an artist by drawing on the philosophy of Arsham refined over decades to generate uniforms that exude the creative personality of the wearer.

Its doctrine follows as ‘part-laboratory, part-atelier that seeks to radically reimagine the way that we get dressed. Combining deep research with conceptual thinking, the brand creates a new paradigm for personal style.’ Optimism and radicality fusing, thoroughness in process, purpose, and design brings forth the narrative that Objects IV Life aims to embody, the reframing of quotidian garments as a means of personal rebranding.

Denim Jacket

daniel arsham aims for responsible sourcing and recycling

The tenet of responsible manufacturing lies in the way Objects IV Life selects its materials and sources. The brand shares that every piece in Chapter 1 is produced using carefully-selected factories in Portugal, Italy, and the United States, and that the fabrics were chosen for their high quality, durability, and circular potential. Cotton is deadstock or organic; polyester is made from recycled materials; natural latex is used in place of its synthetic equivalent. ‘We make use of bio-based fabrics such as modal and EcoVerorM viscose, which are produced using environmentally-conscious manufacturing methods,’ the brand adds.

Minimalism articulates the packaging style of Objects IV life, using as little material as possible to protect and deliver orders ‘with every step of the process being vetted for its environmental credentials,’ the brand says. It pledges that the boxes are 100% recyclable and made from a minimum of 70% recycled content. Its garments arrive in 100% recycled LDPE polybags, and the ink on the boxes is renewable, water-based, and made from natural materials. To affirm their care for the environment, the brand seals its boxes with paper tape which is produced using zero animal derivatives.

The act of philanthropy ticks another box on Arsham and Objects IV Life’s list of missions with 1% of all Objects IV Life sales being donated to The Cooper Union, a New York City-based arts and science institution established in 1859 as a free center of learning and civic discourse. As an alumnus of The Cooper Union School of Art and a former recipient of the Gelman Trust Fellowship, Arsham has committed to supporting The Cooper Union in its venture to restore the institution’s original mission to make tuition free for all by 2029.

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