#bencopperwheat

[jeaniseaviles]

Styling hair with Vangeis Hatzis stellar hair team in Mykonos @jackieomykonos for @patricia_field @apostolosmitropoulos Fashion Show! @seagullsalon #patriciafieldartfashion #superparadise #mykonos #kennycarpenter #bencopperwheat #scooterlaforge #kylebrincefieldclothing #thesepinklips #ssikkiss #vangelishatzis @artwoo_art @serfotis

[syraxstarphoto]

「Patricia Field x Ben Copperwheat event」Faded - Mew model muse #メンズ #ファッション #creative #イベント #patriciafield #bencopperwheat #ヒップホップ #スタイル #spiritanimal #nycunderground #ニューヨーク #poc#モデル #コデ #like4like #followmejp #渋谷 #afropunk #backalleyjapanzine #blackaf #おしゃれ #都市のストリートワークス #popart #ladmusician #hippie #red #問題ない #commedesgarcons (at Schimanski)

[moda-75-blog]

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all" #OscarWilde . . Pic: #trimqueen / Jacket: #karllagerfeld Earrings: #vintageearrings / @bencopperwheat wears his own #bencopperwheat designs (available at #patriciafieldartfashion ) / #thebaroness latex suit available via baroness.com / #purelypatricia clothing is all available by commission / Lips: @purelypatricia next venture ... coming soon! . . #whatisawinnyc #what_i_saw_in_nyc #nycstreetphotography #nycstreetstyle #nycstyle #nycgo #nycgram #wildnewyork #nycphotographer #nycphotography #nystreetstyle #artfashion #artphotographer #fashioneditorial #playingwithlight #playingwithcolors #artlifestyle #nyfw #uppereastside #benefitparty (at Upper East Side)

[hallamoda]

A$AP Cocky. #stillhumble #bencopperwheat #patriciafieldartfashion #HAllAMODA #NewYorkArt #NewYorkStyle #NewYorkFashion #NYCStreetFashion #NYStreetstyle #nycstreetstyle #NewYorkStreetStyle #NYCFashion #nycblogger #nycfashionblogger #NewYorkArtist #NewYorkDesigner #HAllAMODA #THEOLDBLACK #NEWYORK #ATLANTA #MIA #NYC #ATL #LA (at Bar Schimmi)

[cindylisicagallery]

We had the best time at my last minute #birthday #housewarming 🏓 🎂 🎵 📸 @bradfordmoody Thank you so much @termurnator @kelly.boehmer @olszewski_art @b.moodyrealestate @bencopperwheat @jammyjohn @joecapurso @leeloothegallerydog (at Ardsley Park - Chatham Cresent) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWl2IJ-JTg4/?utm_medium=tumblr

[parlorgallery]

Happy Friday... We are currently closed at the gallery for some much needed “house cleaning”, so, until we get back to our regular programing, please enjoy these posts from some of the collectors and designers that we have the pleasure of finding art for... • This beautiful installation from @moreinteriordesign includes a dynamic canvas created by the wonderful @bencopperwheat • We are so grateful to be able to work with designers to help find homes for art... • If you need us to do some “art matchmaking” for you, get in touch. • Email: info@parlor-gallery.com Website: www.parlor-gallery.com Visit: 717 Cookman Ave. Asbury Park, NJ Call: 732.869.0606 Direct Message on Instagram (at Parlor Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKoi1gxDDmC/?igshid=1ke8i40ikxk21

[vaczine]

Ben Copperwheat Seeing these #studmuffinnyc X #bencopperwheat looks @made my day! 💛💚💙💜❤🦄🌈💝😍👀🌟🖤🌎🙏🌹🎈 with @repostapp・・・Team #KALTBLUTMAGAZINE at #madeberlin presents @patricia_field #artfashion At #berlinfashionweek #mbfwb #fashionicon #style #berlin #photo by @kikodionisio_photography for #kaltblutmagazine — com Kyle Brincefield.

[gayarkadaslik]

Credit to @mikey.mackenzie : shooting with @dustinpop in...

Credit to @mikey.mackenzie : shooting with @dustinpop in…

Credit to @mikey.mackenzie : shooting with @dustinpop in @bencopperwheat’s clothes was fun https://ift.tt/2JHLUmE

[ankaratravestimodel]

Credit to @mikey.mackenzie : shooting with @dustinpop in...

Credit to @mikey.mackenzie : shooting with @dustinpop in…

Credit to @mikey.mackenzie : shooting with @dustinpop in @bencopperwheat’s clothes was fun https://ift.tt/2JHLUmE

[arthouse-nyc-blog]

Happy #presidentsday @bencopperwheat depiction of Obama is a #colorful #celebration - we can only #hope his #presidential brand of #dignity & #intelligence will return in our lifetime because the current occupant of #ovaloffice does not come close in representing our country. Please #register to #vote. We are thrilled to have Ben on the jury for Sprung - more info: curator arthouse.nyc (at New York, New York)

[jeaniseaviles]

#Repost @bencopperwheat (@get_repost) ・・・ Greetings from Mykonos!! 💛💚💙💜❤️💝🌈🦄💕👀💫🔥😻🇺🇾🇬🇧🇺🇸🌙🔥 #mykonos #greece #patriciafieldartfashion #piggyhuggums #bencopperwheat #nyc #happyjoyousandfree

[moda-75-blog]

Much Love & Congratulations on the Apostolos Mitropoulos X Patricia Field Pop Up Shop & the Beach Pop Up Shop opening on the 16th to ... @patricia_field @jodymorlock @bencopperwheat @scooterlaforge @kylebrincefield @abyulighting & all the other Brilliant Artists, Creators, Makers & Innovators involved!!! . . #Repost from #bencopperwheat closing party . . #patriciafieldartfashion #whatisawinnyc #artfashion #fashionart #williamsburg #uptowndowntown #nycstreetstyle #nystreetstyle #buyartnotcrap #mykonos #apostolosmitropoulos (at Bar Schimmi)

[hallamoda]

Nostalgic And Vibrant. I Enjoy Your Display Of Patterns In Fashion & Even On Canvas. Bravo, Great Show Ben 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 -Rest In Peace @joanrivers #bencopperwheat #patriciafieldartfashion #HAllAMODA #NewYorkArt #NewYorkStyle #NewYorkFashion #NYCStreetFashion #NYStreetstyle #nycstreetstyle #NewYorkStreetStyle #NYCFashion #nycblogger #nycfashionblogger #NewYorkArtist #NewYorkDesigner #HAllAMODA #THEOLDBLACK #SOUTHBEACH #MIAMIBEACH #WYNWOOD #NEWYORK #ATLANTA #MIA #NYC #ATL #LA (at Bar Schimmi)

[bontortuga-blog]

In the tube dress I made for @gypsysport #pfw, @moreno.sf #serving. Made of repurposed materials that include #tshirts , #vintage #westernshirts, #newspaper clippings about the 2016 #election and a killer shirt design from @bencopperwheat of #hillaryclinton. #resist #persist and #slay ; learn to #coexist 💥 (at Oakland, California)

[e4models]

#E4Model #DayneFacey @day.emp.fac #NYFW #bencopperwheat @bencopperwheat #empirerooftop #topblackmodels #RunwayBoys #Fashion #fashionishe #TeamSix1 #FashionWeek #E4Men #E4MenNY #E4MaleBoard #E4ModelsAtWork #JamaicanModels #JamaicanMaleModels #blackmodels #menswear #streetstyle #streetfashion # (at The Empire Hotel Rooftop)

[theracknyc]

Ben Copperwheat Interview

The Rack NYC Invades Fashion Icon Ben Copperwheat’s Brooklyn Studio. Here’s What he had to Show Us.

Above: Mr. Copperwheat shows off his Sunday Best.

Interview by Jun Nuñez

Photography by Analisa Deolaso

The first thing one notices upon entering Designer Ben Copperwheat’s studio is that every available space has become a silk-screened canvas. We’re talking kitchen walls, sofas, doors... Everything. This made for a much easier interview, as everywhere I looked Ben’s talent was fully represented and fueled inquiry about each screened piece of art and where his inspiration comes from.

Since stepping onto New York soil in 2003, Ben’s client list has grown in the best way. His daring prints has adorned the likes of Boy George and Liza Minelli. He’s produced collections for Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Peter Som, Edun, Pret A Surf, Victorinox Swiss Army, Stephen Burrows, Phillip Lim 3.1 and Daryl K. In 2009 Ben established the radical menswear label COPPERWHEAT with Lee Copperwheat. COPPERWHEAT quickly generated excitement with its unusual combination of Ben’s distinctive print designs – all of which were handprinted – and Lee’s tailoring.

Ben Copperwheat launched his solo brand and first collection of extraordinary prints for clothing and interiors in May 2013. Alongside his prints, Ben will also be working on fine art pieces, collaborations and specially commissioned projects.

In this interview Ben kindly opens his doors and humbly invites us into his neon-colored world.

Above: Ben effortlessly blends into his abundantly silk-screened home/work studio.

The Rack NYC: What attracted you to silk-screening in the first place?

Ben Copperwheat: When I attended art college I didn’t really start out in fashion. I was more into the great masters such as Matisse and Picasso. That’s what we learned in college when I was eighteen. I did a whole multi-media course which was ceramics, silk-screening and painting. I like painting as well, and I did that for a while, but silk-screening was something I really got into. It’s a process a lot of people get put off of rather quickly because there’s a lot of prep work and so much can go wrong. I started out not using clothing, but by doing prints on paper. I did two years of that course before doing my degree. I left school at sixteen, actually, with not very many exam results. I was bulleted all the way through school, and hated it. Very conservative, lower middle-class, white. I didn’t like it...

TR: It doesn’t sound very inspiring.

BC: (Laughs) Not at all! Uniforms everyday... I mean, it was just boring. So I had a tough time at school, and my parents who were very supportive figured I should go to art college and supported me through that. That was a real gift, and I did three years of my under graduate degree in a mixed-media course that included painting, print-making and textiles. That’s when I did my first pieces on fabric.

Above: Prints from Ben’s past, some dating back to his college days.

TR: (Viewing some of Ben’s prints, some from as far back as ‘97) Seeing these, it’s obvious you haven’t lost your amazing sense for bold color.

BC: Color’s always been a major thing for me. I don’t know. It just sort of lifts up my soul, really. I can’t live without color. So then, when I was doing my degree we started using fabrics. Not clothing, as it wasn’t a fashion course. So, I came out of that course with these lengths of fabric, which I was like, well, what am I going to do with this?  I got a spot at The Royal College of Art, one of the top design schools in the world, and I did a masters program in printed textiles. I had a choice between pure, fine art or fashion and textiles. I thought textiles would be better, as I figured at the end I’d have stuff to sell and hopefully have a career. That’s where I totally got into textiles and screen-prints.

Pulling these out now, it really makes me want to get back into proper screen-printing, and just make these long prints. What I do here is basically just overlaying where it goes straight over the garments. Now that I’ve moved to New York, I’ve had a chance to reflect on my life and where I’ve gotten to. Ten, twelve years ago I wasn’t dressed full-on myself as I am now. It’s interesting to see how my work has evolved.

Above: Ben’s clever use of iconography such as New York’s Empire State Building or his ever present pig has become a large part of his signature style.

TR: You’ve been residing in New York City since 2003. Did you come straight to Brooklyn?

BC: I lived in Manhattan for five years. I couch surfed on 19th st. and 2nd avenue for about six months with my cousin. I was working for Calvin Klein for five years, which was my first job when moving here. I was very lucky, but I did have a good portfolio. I lived in Chelsea for two years, which I didn’t really like. I then moved to the Lower East Side to a sublet I found on Craigslist for $1000 a month, overlooking the FDR, with utilities included! I thought I’d never get it, but the landlord got a good vibe from me and he loved my accent, and I actually got it. I lived there for four years until the landlord’s son took the place. I’ve been in Brooklyn ever since.

Below: Ben’s extra long work table with projects in progress.

Above: When we say Ben’s entire home and studio is screen-printed, we weren’t kidding.

TR: (At this point, attention is diverted to a series of canvases on Ben’s walls, each portraying celebs such as Joan Rivers and Diana Ross). Can you tell us about your canvases?

BC: This series is called “Divas”. I have an inexhaustible line of celebrity figures I can do, obviously. I’ll be doing some with men, as well. Kanye West will be on the upper top (laughs). I’ll take a photographic image of a person and hand draw elements in. These women are all trailblazers, and I originally liked the idea of using prints with images to really show off the prints, but now it’s evolved into it’s own thing.

TR: So, we’re seeing a meld of both computer and hand made art on these? It’s hard to tell where the digital art ends and the hand drawn elements begin.

BC: Ultimately, what I’d like to do is create art such as this and carry them over straight to clothing, so there’s a synonymous, organic relationship where they’re feeding each other. I’m getting closer to that, actually. Exciting stuff is really beginning to happen. One of my next steps would be a solo show for these pieces, with maybe some clothing.

Above: An exciting start to Ben’s “Divas” series, a combination of digital and hand drawn art on canvas.

TR: Your work contains several different influences. I can see a lot of the Punk movement of the seventies, but I also notice a strong urban feel.

BC: I was definitely inspired by the urban look. The majority of people that stop me in the street to ask about my clothes are straight guys and kids that live in the neighborhood. That’s always a great feeling! Most people assume my work appeals mostly to gay people. In London, people aren’t as forthcoming. In New York, people are a bit more bold. That’s a great thing about this city. There’s always people about and they get to see your work.

Ben was kind enough to share even more of his fabulous work done for clients past and present shown below.

Above: Boy George wears Ben Copperwheat on stage.

Above: Liza Minelli in a Ben Copperwheat print.

Above: For Rod Thomas.

Above: Commissioned project.

Above: For Stephen Burrows

Above: From Ben Copperwheat’s line.

We can’t thank Ben enough for taking time to let us into his creative process. Visit www.bencopperwheat.com where you can view press releases, photo shoots and much more.

*In our current issue, the website shown for Ben Copperwheat was not listed correctly. The official website for Ben Copperwheat is listed above.

All work shown is © Ben Copperwheat unless otherwise noted.

Some photos used in this article are courtesy of the artist.