Earlier this year, I had the great surprise of finding out that designer Frida Giannini had referenced my pastel colour palette as inspiration for Gucci's Fall/Winter 14 Men's collection. A month later I was invited to Rome to visit the Gucci design headquaters where I began collaborating with Frida on various painting projects - the main project being an reinterpretation of Gucci's iconic "Flora" print -which was originally commissioned as a gift for Grace Kelly in the 1960s. For my Flora reinterpretation I went beyond the Gucci archives and referenced ancient pagan Rome, creating a floral painting of plants that women of this time used to command power over men - whether it was for healing, seduction or poisoning. The print dubbed "Flora Knight" has been utilized by Frida Giannini on numerous designs for both men and women and is available now through Gucci.
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