fashion: artist spotlight – carmel snow, cultural camouflage

When I first viewed Oakland native, Carmel Snow’s work, I was so drawn in by the vibrant colors, energy and spirit of each statement.  There is rejuvenation in her work that is enticing and almost illusionistic and surrealist with patterns, colors, and shapes that will most definitely draw you in. From the detailing of knits patterns, the delicacy of body adornment and blending of colors, her Cultural Camouflage series is absolutely stunning and channels so much positive light and energy.  Snow’s designs connect “cultural, social, and geographical patterns” of various locations, pulling on her upbringing in Oakland and time in Hawaii, Panama, and Ecuador. The recent Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) graduate is creatively interpreting and shaping her Textile Design degree with concentrations in, innovative materials, architectural textiles, media, and sustainability creating and building upon her artistic existence.  Again, I am always so inspired by the true creative innovators of this generation, whether through art, music or fashion.  For over an hour on Skype, Carmel and I instantly connected—sharing artistic interests, music, places to visit and much more.  She was even kind enough to share her experience in Costa Rica, as I am spending the next three months here. Thank you Carmel for your positive light and work that is making a mark on this earth in so many ways. I look forward to connecting soon once I return to the states. Check out my interview with the super dope and creative Carmel Snow below!

By Aliyah Blackmore, AFROPUNK Contributor

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As humans, we culturally camouflage ourselves in the places we inhabit in the physical and virtual realms as a means of assimilation and survival. Creatively using apparel and body adornment, we often unconsciously and reflexively co-opt and blend diverse traditions, trends and colors in order to merge into our surroundings, similar to the adaptive qualities animals develop for survival. My textile and media work explores the concept of how individuals respond to their environments and how patterns on the body are juxtaposed against complementary and contrasting shapes created by the lived spaces we populate.  I endeavor to capture these ephemeral moments through photographs and videos documenting people wearing textiles that intermix with various found or curated environments. – Carmel Snow

 Name: Carmel Snow

Location: Semi Nomadic – New York City

Occupation or title: innovative textile designer.

So you are from Oakland, but have had the opportunity to travel around the world?  Have you gained inspirations from your travels and from Oakland as well?

Traveling is really important to me. It has a lot to do with adventure, but also learning and experiencing.  I guess for me and my family, that’s just how we do and thrive through movement. That is how we experience and absorb life—staying with people around the world who are family/tribe, living and learning, having nests and visiting others.

I was born in Oakland – with my mother and brother. I was lucky to be part of a certain Oakland scene. I grew up in the post Black Panthers world, in the 90’s where there was a lot of emphasis and respect on diversity and creativity, a revival of that era and movement.   I spent time in high school in Ecuador and Hawaii but mostly went to Berkeley High—and attended the Art and Humanities Academy (AHA) there.  A lot of my work and inspiration comes from the essence from urban jungles and natural jungles.  My family is from the islands but I spent the majority of  childhood in California . Traveling is super important and being grounded is super important as well.  With grounding, like at RISD—amazing things happened in terms of my artwork. Amazing life revelations and learning also come from traveling and being nomadic, exposed to numerous environments and cultures.

I didn’t know what exactly textiles was before heading to RISD—I used to make clothes, weld, and make installations, I was going to go to an academic university and then I decided on RISD.  Your first year you don’t really have a major, but you have foundation studies, which allows students to define who they are and what their work is, share a common ground of design and craft. When I was in foundations, older students would come up to me and ask me how textiles was, and I was like, what is this textile thing that everyone thinks I am, and then I figured it out and I was like duh, I am the definition of a textile girl. Making material with creative applications is really interesting but also making things that are practical is very important.  I learned a ton of information about textiles while at RISD and really grew in all types of ways.

Your thesis, Cultural Camouflage, what was the vision?

That concept is about—biological and cultural study of camouflage—products and materials that have a relationship to science—really about animals and their blending with the environment to survive as well as contrasting to show strength and pride. Humans basically do the same thing to survive except manifested through clothing and cultural connotations using apparel to blend in and stand out for different reasons. I was also considering cultural evolutions of survival through clothing with how we blend in and stand in to survive in different spaces

A lot of my work is very bold and wild – I love standing out in environments but I also looked at individuals in environments – how we blend in to stand out showing confirmative strength .

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Did your upbringing influence your desire to pursue the arts in any way? Does your upbri

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nging inspire your work in any way?

Yes, of course.  I have an around the world tribe– literal family and abstract family.

Family is so great and very important. I am really lucky to have such an interwoven international team that helps eachother and knows how to enjoy life. I have had many moments so far and every environment and adventure is a source of inspiration for me but I have probably drawn the most from my times working in the Amazon—I love the jungle—amazon has always stuck with me.

How would you describe your own style and your own artistic style?

Artistic style is all about wild life—wild n out, wild life of animals, and wild realities of the present. I guess, I’ve always been really, different? When I grew up I was always very colorful—wherever I lived I always looked different from everyone so I’ve always just wanted to do me.

Wild but refined — bringing the design in with the funky fresh—design school helped the blend of refinement and wild expression.

My style is – picking up things where I go – and then I wear them out and see where they take me. I love having an outfit from all over the world, each item with a soul and a story.  

Often the metaphorical jungle is my reality – because I’m mostly in cities – natural jungle translated into urban street jungle vibes – urban jungle chic! I really try to embody a spectrum of lifestyles with my look.

What artists/musicians/designers/people inspire you?

Wow…there is such a list!

-On the most real level—my mom is my inspiration– she is an artist, traveler and warrior—so much love for my mama.

I’m always so inspired by people I am collaborating with. Currently I am collabing with this inflatable architecture collective PneuHaus, to make communal textile desert bubbles. Work a lot with Jackson Hallberg making textile environments with photography.  Bakery Collective, who are making the world of sounds in Berlin, excited to connect with them and dive into the textile designs for the tribe!

-Tata Christine—experimental street wear in Berlin

– Solange she is really special—really grounded and on point.  I designed with Gerlan Jeans and vibe with her style as well, Solange X Gerlan did a collab and it was the realness.

-Gypsy Sport- so part of the camouflage/design life

-Sepp magazine – sport and street wear magazine full of editorials in Berlin

-Andrea Zittel – ephemeral desert architect  

-Jim Drain –worked with him in Morocco— funky fine artist

-Desert designs – Australia

-Kayla Mattes and Annie Larson– two great hand made textile designers—they are on point.

-Kenzo and Kenny Scharf

-I.ameni – he is an hip hop artist from Oakland.

-Erykah Badu and Missoni Knits

-M.I.A – she is everything!

-Cynthia LeCount Samake – textile anthropologist in Peru

-Lion Babe—she is so beautiful and about to kill it-she is killing it!

-The Mosaic Project – a diversity school in the woods for kids from the bay – used to be a diversity teacher there, such an amazing organization

-Material Connexion and Bruce Parrys BBC tribe series

-Lolawolf and Rae Sremmurd

– Toilet Paper Mag and Synchrodogs

-Achuar- northern Andean people

-Kuna people of the San Blas

– The Lost Explorers lifestyle brand

-Paul Stamets, Myceliumologist

– Spirit weavers gatherings in Joshua Tree

Next steps: 

Graduating from school is a new wave and new adventure…getting over the hard part and just focusing on being excited now.  I am just really excited to begin work with my designs to work with other photo environments, textile material innovations, textile architects, industrial knits, manufacturing, 3D printing, and look books…I don’t want to stop making!

I am doing a print collaboration with Print All Over Me, PAOM X Carmel Snow, so anyone will be able to buy my digitally printed designs online, dropping in July.

I want a lot of things today…planted all these seeds and now they are starting to grow world wide, feeling good! Future Is bright, choices, directions, very unknown and very fresh.

I am trying to make roots in New York and remix that with Berlin—tryna make it pop off between both interweaving the two contexts and environments of design, making, and collective growth.

* Follow Carmel Snow:

  Site www.carmelsnow.com

  Instagram: @carmelsnow

  Tumblr: patternedjungleenvironments

  Follow Aliyah on Instagram @aliyahblkmre and on echoesofnoise.tumblr.com