Traditionally, art involves building something up, whether that’s charcoal on paper or oil paint on canvas.
However, Los Angeles-based artist and fashion designer Emily Starobrat magically creates wearable masterpieces through obliteration.
Her brandDenemfeatures hand-constructed artisanal denim elevated by drawings which are carved into the fabric with a rotary tool.
Photo: Bella Valentini
An artist since she was 5 years old, Starobrat fell into fashion through a stroke of luck.
There she fell in love with working with textiles and headed to Parsons School of Design.
Only a few years post-graduation and she has already created her own thriving business hand-crafting artisanal denim.
Photo: Bella Valentini
I take a lot of inspiration from my childhood, Starobrat tells My Modern Met.
She melds these motifs with pop-culture references from Los Angeles in the 2000s, the background of her childhood.
I also take inspiration from the culture of growing up in the early 2000s in LA, she explains.
Taking anywhere from a few days to a week, Starobrat transforms her design into hand-constructed jeans.
For instance, her pieces that have been sanded into actually become bolder after washing.
Unsurprisingly, those sell out quickly.
