COLLECTION 2 - AVANT-GARDE

358 KALTBLUT
AZATURE
THE BLACK DIAMOND KING
Approaching Azature for an interview was extremely easy - we’d
met as design students at Parsons School of Design in 2004 and
had immediately bonded over our love of champagne, McQueen
and of course, black. Azature was one of those students that stood
out immediately as one set for fame - he dressed like a mashup of
‘70s Steven Tyler and the 2000s Hedi Slimane - a rockstar that
had recently discovered couture, always in black. Long crucifixion
necklaces, Goth, skull rings, impeccably tailored, tight (black)
shirts, tight rock n’ roll (black) pants and of course: kickass, heavy
(black) motorcycle boots. He was walking fashion perfection, especially
at a school that wheels out far more Gap designers than
Thierry Mugler designers. He was our class couture king.
Now, Azature is in a world of his own creation - since graduating
from Parsons, he moved back to Los Angeles and was crowned the
“black diamond king,” a name that suddenly we’re all calling him.
His jewelry is edgy and inventive, but it evokes incredible emotion.
They are strong, gritty concoctions that simultaneously feel precious
and irreplaceable. Beyonce, Rihanna, Megan Fox and Liv
Tyler have dripped in his work, editorials from Genlux to Glamour.
His daily schedule is a grueling, fast-paced travel log of incredulosity
- every day, his Facebook reminds me he’s 2000 miles one
way or 2000 miles the other. London, Paris, Dubai, New York,
LA; from Chile to Argentina to Russia to Spain. I sent questions
via email and he gracefully obliged, probably in between another
interview and a run to the airport:
Interview by Colleen Williams www.eau.tumblr.com