Take a walk down any block in any city and you will no doubt see an abundance of graffiti—from elaborate murals to simple spray-painted words. Since the 1970s and 1980s, it has always been associated with the urban streets and counterculture. However, with the superstardom status of artists such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Banksy, it has become an esteemed art form in and of itself.
Now colorful urban-art has taken a leap into the mainstream—appearing on luxury fabrics from companies such as Kravet, Pierre Frey, and Timorous Beasties. The prestigious French design house Pierre Frey collaborated with Paris-based American graffiti artist Toxic and French painter Charles Pringuay. The trendsetting Glasgow-based Timorous Beasties’ richly chaotic design Graffiti Stripe Velvet was inspired by the colors and textures of their city’s streets. A leading American company, Kravet, took liberties with the spatter-like patterns of Jackson Pollock’s canvases. From subways to sofas, graffiti is all around us.
