Niagara at Pink Pump

Niagara at Pink Pump

Isn't it wonderful when the civil code, the calendar, and the climate all collide nicely for art and fashion?

Follow us here. We have to wear clothes - it's the law. It's June - which means it's summer. It's getting hot - and no doubt it will get even hotter. You'll want to be as cool as possible - and being the proud, style-conscious and aesthetically-minded Detroiter that you are, you'll also want to look cool.

Let's Get Into Trouble, shall we?

Better still, let's get to Royal Oak's Pink Pump on June 23 when that hot-couture palace throws a launch party for a new line of apparel bearing the signature mark of a Detroit legend - Niagara.

That's right. The acclaimed rock goddess and painter is going to lend her linear and chromatic magic to shoes, tops, tanks and dresses this season. It's a collaboration, a celebration, and yet another notation on an already impressive resume.

Speaking of that resume, here's a modest summary for your benefit. Niagara first came to notice as the unforgettable front-singer for such seminal groups as Dark Carnival and Destroy All Monsters - two bands that also highlighted the musical genius of the late Ron Asheton. Coinciding with that permanent vocation for rock music was a talent for painting that subsequently brought her into the orbit of a Detroit art community that is (and always will be) closely identified with the C-Pop Gallery. Her subsequent canvases (drenched with fatal irony, feminist iconography, and pop culture referencing) justly fetch handsome prices here and abroad.

Now we have her planting a standard in the territory of local fashion. About time, if you ask us.

We asked Niagara a few questions prior to the launch. Grab a barrel.

Singer, painter, agent provocateur - now you're venturing (for the first time?) into apparel design. What led to this decision?
Not for the first time. I've worked with Hysteric Glamour, a Japanese fashion company, for quite awhile now, but regretfully their designs are not sold stateside. Van's also put my artwork on their shoes -  which sold out very quickly, I'm proud to say. C-POP founder Rick Manore introduced me to Tawny Thieu, owner of the Pink Pump empire. Instead of the usual little square of art ironed on a t-shirt, we envisioned and planned the reproduction of my paintings in their original size with backgrounds seam-to-seam. So it will be apparel inspired by my art that people can actually get in her boutiques here and also worldwide on the Pink Pump website.

Which particular design motifs did you choose and why? Do they cover the whole gamut of your works - or were they specially made for this line?
There are 10 designs with variations printed on skinny tanks, burnout tops, t-shirts, stretch mini-dresses, and so forth, and all in different colors. We chose several classic images like HOTBOX - the red lips with a cigarette. We printed GEISHA THIS, of course. What was most rewarding was that I found in Tawny someone who loves and embraces the imagery. Usually a company will say, "We can't show guns!" or "We can't show drugs!" or "We can't show nipples!" Trust me, I could go on and on about this. But Tawny and especially the sales staff at Pink Pump WANTED a walk on the wild side! The images you see are part of a Detroit aesthetic that has always been ahead of the curve - and never intimidated by political correctness.

And I hasten to add that this is the Premiere Collection. We will have a Fall Collection and we intend to keep going till we can't go any farther - if not going farther is even possible! There are endless images that I have in stock. One day we'll have a clothing line from my OPIUM series, since there's now a printing method that can beautifully reproduce the many colors and layers of that particular 1920's Oriental-style motif.

Why Pink Pimp for this venture?
As I've already stated, it quickly turned into a fortuitous pairing. Tawny and I are like Winston Churchill and FDR! She was on the cover of dBusiness recently - singled out as one of the busiest and most successful entrepreneurs in this area. She is super high-energy and enthusiastic! She owns and operates five stores and just acquired another location. Her boutique's decor is stunning, colorful, witty - just like stepping inside one of my paintings. Without the guns, of course.

We always think of you as a perpetual fixture on the Detroit art scene, but you do venture elsewhere. What have you been up to, where have you been, and what's on the agenda for the future?
The last European show I had was in Manchester, England. The owners built a new gallery and they used to party with NICO, who lived there for a long while. I did a couple shows in Paris to launch the shoes for Van's. Did a fabulous show in Tokyo to launch the Hysteric Glamour/Destroy All Monsters fashion line. The next show I'm painting for is in Berlin this August. Oh, and there's a big July 2012 exhibit at the fabulous Re:View Contemporary Gallery. It'll be my first exhibit in Detroit in over seven years!
 
I went to Australia last year and toured for a month with a band that I've known there for ages, The Hitmen.  It was great, with two guitar heroes of mine -  Chris Masuak (Radio Birdman) and Brad Shepherd (Hoodoo Gurus). I go there every other year and show at the Outre Galleries in Melbourne and Sydney. But I was very depressed after Ronnie (Asheton) passed away and wanted to get out...way out!

How will a woman feel wearing an article of clothing with Niagara's personal stamp on it?
I would imagine she'll feel ready - and eager - for trouble.

And as far as "wearing" Niagara goes, why have we yet to see a perfume?
Because it might just prove too powerful for the masses! What if it fell into the wrong hands?! It'd be like "Love Potion #9" - or
something better!

THAT strong?
More than just strong, Robert! You're soaking in it...

Let's Get into Trouble, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Pink Pump in Royal Oak