The gallery is the street
T-Shirts are still a very good way to caught attention because it´s easy to communicate Messages to many People. With the help of his Friends and the Internet, the ambitious and very creative New York Based Designer Christopher Sauvé is now buzzing all over the Online and Offline World. His T-Shirts are in Stock in our Shop since a few days, so it´s time to talk with him about his work, inspiration and fruits for our upcoming “New Talents in Fashion” Project.
Images by Christopher Sauvé | Below: the master himself.
Your Portfolio is very impressive for a 2003 Degree. Since then you did Stuff for the likes of Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang and The New York Times. And you´ve also started your own T-Shirt Collection. Do you have any free Time, or do you work 24/7?
I work 24/7, but I love what I do. I like to collaborate with creative people and it energizes me to create art.
Was it hard or easy to get those well known Clients?
It is never easy to get clients, but I know exactly what I want and I make sure to be persistent until it happens. I have a list of people I want to work with and designers I need to learn from. For instance, when I learned that Giovanni Bianco was Madonna’s art director and that he works close with Steven Klein, I just knew I had to work with him because he is so amazing. So I was persistent and worked very hard and we ended up working together and the experience has been very valuable ever since.
(of course. this is Perez Hilton with the “Save Anna” T-Shirt. So get it now, here)
And what´s about this “Save Anna” T-Shirts? It seems that your Shirts mainly cover Stuff which happens now. Like the Recession thing or Save Anna. Except Klaus Nomis Shirt. A tribute to the legend?
“Save Anna” is a social commentary about saving the world of fashion really. In this economy many retailers have seen a loss in sales and alot of designers have had to make cuts. So, by using an iconic figure like Anna Wintour, the Editor of VOGUE, I created the SAVE ANNA campaign. It started as an email chain, a facebook page, and then out of demand I created t-shirts. After the popularity of the t-shirts, I found this to be a great platform for me to create my artwork with. So then I launched my own brand “Christopher Lee Sauvé“. The brand ties my love for art and fashion. I use the t-shirt as a canvas and use the best silk screen inks out there and screens to create the shirts. The gallery is then the street, which ties into my love for street art and graffiti. Galleries can be elitist. The retail environment is then transformed into a gallery and anyone can access the work. The FUCK THE RECESSION tee followed the SAVE ANNA as a message to be creative and ignore the negatives and think of the positives that the recession can bring. More creativity.
(Sneak Pick of his new Collection which is available from Fall)
And the Klaus Nomi Shirt is a tribute to him?
The KLAUS NOMI t-shirt is indeed a tribute to German artist Klaus Nomi. I am a huge fan of him and admire his work and courage for being who he was and doing it. To me he is one of the top artists of the century, more so then Warhol maybe…I think he was way ahead of everything and a genuis at creating himself. From music, fashion, performance and even design.
What is about the “Bananas” thing with Rachel Zoe. I have seen in your news that she tried to sue you? And what should I expect a letter from her Lawyer too, because of our “I die. Bananas” Party? 
I designed a t-shirt which said “I DIE. BANANNAS”. After this shirt was created, Rachel Zoe’s lawyer contacted me and told me to stop creating the shirts or she will take me to court. The lawyer said she had copyrighted the words “I Die” and “Banannas”. This turned out to be false. So, I created the FREE THE FRUIT campaign where fans could vote on there favourite fruit and protect it from copyright. Perez Hilton posted the campaign as well as New York Magazine’s, Amy O’Dell. The response to the campaign was overwhelming. People were outraged that a fruit could be trademarked. The winning result: The Pineapple!
You are living in NYC, but study in Netherlands and in Canada. So from where are you origin?
I was raised between Seattle, Washington, USA and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Being a teenager in Seattle during the early to mid-nineties exposed me to alot of grunge music and concerts. I fell in love with the whole punk scene and the style. Although I do not remember much…. I went to school at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. It was a good school, nice people. Could not wait to hit the ground and work.
I´ve seen that you sell your T-Shirts also in Japan and with stylishkidsinriot.com for the first time in Europe. How did you get in to the Japanese Market?
I was approached by a Japanese buyer who had seen my shirts in Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. I began to design collections for him and they started selling at ADDITION ADELAIDE in Tokyo and now the shirts are sold at several shops throughout Japan. I also sell the shirts with POP UP! in London. A series of pop up shops that take over retail spaces gone vacant from the recession. The project was very fitting for the brand. In NYC I sell at SEVEN NEW YORK, my favourite shop here in NYC. They have amazing designs.
What are your favourite Designer?
Personality: Isaak Mizrahi
Attitude: Vivien Westwood
Mission: Diane von Furstenberg
Innovative: Alexander Wang
Pop Star:Karl Lagerfeld
Creativity: Stephen Sprouse
Business: Marc Jacobs
And fashion Blogger?
Amy ODell, New York Magazine. I am designing a series of chocolate bars for the stores CHOCOLATE BAR here in NYC. The collection will be called BOX OF GOSSIP and Amy will be one of the bloggers in the chocolate collection. All the artwork will be created by me and they will hit shelves this Fall for Fashion week. Check: http://www.chocolatebarnyc.com for updates.
At last, tell us about your Future Plans and where do you see yourself in about 10 years?
In 10 years I see my brand expanding and collaborating with other artists to create exciting projects, clothing, canvases, video or music. I really want to create a band, and do all the art direction, like what Warhol did with the Velvet Underground…that is next on the list after the chocolates and the new Fall Collection of t-shirts! http://www.christopherleesauve.com
Thanks:)
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