ISLAND STYLE
Local artists work magic on silk clothing lines
By Paula Rath
Advertiser Fashion Writer
Whether painting or textiles, two Hawai'i designers work magic on silk clothing lines
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Silk inspires. It must be something about the drape and flow of the natural fiber, or perhaps how it seems to thirst for colorful dye.
John Black, left, in "Retro Surf," and Daniel Ko in "Palolo Bananas" model aloha shirts by artist Yvonne Cheng, who likes to use Hawaiian images for her textiles.
Now two Hawai'i artists, Kristi Kranz of Hawi on the Big Island and Yvonne Cheng of Honolulu, have turned to silk as a creative medium.
Although their styles are completely different, both women were influenced by Indonesian batiks. And they each work in a rural tropical environment, which is evident in their art.
Cheng and Kranz will be showing their garments at a special event tomorrow night at Neiman Marcus. (See box, Page E3.)
Painter by accident
• 5 to 8 p.m. tomorrow • Neiman Marcus Ala Moana • Kristi Kranz will be on level 2 in the Galleria. Yvonne Cheng will be on level 3 in men's sportswear. In addition, fashion designer Anne Namba will make a special appearance in level 2, Galleria. • The event is free.
Kranz lives and works in a quaint plantation home with a view of cane fields and ocean and a bountiful yard with lychee and macadamia nut trees, suffused with the fragrance of gardenias and mock orange blossoms.
An Evening with the Designers
She did not set out to be a silk painter. She had been a singer in a rock 'n' roll band, a bartender, waitress and importer. In 1991, on a business trip to Bali, she was inspired to begin watercolor painting. She isn't sure how she segued to silk.
"I had no clue I would ever do this until it started happening," she said. "Sometimes I don't even credit myself with the painting. It just flows from me."
She paints yards of white Chinese silk (chiffon and charmeuse) with transparent French dyes. Her designs are kept simple to emphasize the painting.
"I'm a kamikaze seamstress," Kranz said. "I don't use patterns. I lay the fabric on the floor and start cutting."
In reality it's not as simple as she says.
After meeting with a client, she designs with the woman's measurements in mind, emphasizing the positives and downplaying the negatives. The silk is painted "specifically for the garment it's going to be." The sewing is completed by one of four professional seamstresses.
The country girl from Hawi was discovered by upscale retailer Neiman Marcus when one of Kranz's private clients from the Big Island wore a Kristi Kranz original to a fashion show. Nancy Nagamine, Neiman Marcus' merchandise manager, asked where the outfit came from, and when she found out, Nagamine called Kranz immediately.
Kranz will bring 68 garments to Neiman Marcus, ranging from $110 to $560. Styles include dresses, long kimono dusters, capri and drawstring pants, shawls and blouses. Women will be able to order custom garments by selecting a style, color and motif to be painted.
From batik to textile design
Artist Yvonne Cheng is best known for her fine art: huge, earthy batik paintings and murals of lovely Hawaiian women and graceful hula dancers.
Artist Kristi Kranz designed and hand-painted this silk gown, on display at Neiman Marcus. Other garments include kimono dusters, capri and drawstring pants, shawls and blouses.
She is now exploring another art form, textile design, with her own label for Kahala Sportswear. She will introduce her first collection of silk herringbone aloha shirts at Neiman Marcus tomorrow night.
Cheng is not a newcomer to Neiman Marcus. Mariposa restaurant has two of her hula murals. She also created packaging for the store's signature chocolates.
How did she come to do textile design? It began with a serendipitous encounter at McKinley Car Wash. Dale Hope, author of "The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of the Islands," and former creative director with Kahala Sportswear, thought for years that Cheng's batik art would translate beautifully to textiles. But he never talked to her, until one day he was standing behind her in line at the car wash. They met again later at a party and the Cheng/Kahala connection was made.
Hope, who also introduced fine artists Avi Kiriaty and John Severson to textile design, said, "She's well known in Hawai'i and it made sense to me to have a prominent artist like Yvonne do textiles. ... Kama'aina folks, especially, will gravitate toward her art because it's soft, easy on the eye and familiar."
Cheng takes her art from life experience. Her studio is tucked way, way back in Palolo Valley, among farmers' fields and banana patches, so one of her first prints is a banana tree. Flowers and surfers are favorite themes. She has danced hula for many years, so hula images are handled with sensitivity and understanding.
Recently, she said, "I have concentrated on the retro period of the 1930s to 1960s. It's a time that makes people smile and remember what's good about Hawai'i. ... My textile design is more playful than my art, which is quite serious."
The challenge for Cheng has been adapting to the technical side of textile design. While her fine art colors are countless, she is limited to 12 colors when designing fabric. Each design is printed in three different color combinations.
She also has to consider how the design will repeat across the yardage and how the scale will work on the human frame.
Cheng is committed to creating 12 textile designs each year for Kahala Sportswear. Next year the company plans to print her designs on a silk and linen blend. They also said they hope to adapt Cheng's prints to a new women's line. Initially, Neiman Marcus will unveil four Cheng prints in three different colorways. They will sell for $68 to $95.
Tomorrow night will provide an opportunity to meet the artists and learn more about how they work. It's sure to be a big night in the city for these two "country girls."
