Boys in the Ouchy Pink Flower Jackets

By Kathleen Ross

Boys in the Ouchy Pink Flower Jackets represents the decadence of overindulgence in the fashion industry. The double image and heavy focus on flower patterns on the excessively large ties and cuffs shows that the attention to detail required in many high fashion designs is labor intensive. Beauty notwithstanding, below the surface lies a repressive world where workers are heavily exploited in the industry. I was particularly moved when a young woman told me a story about her job at a local t-shirt factory. This young woman was working long hours and attending high school. The job conditions were particularly difficult and her job was to label 10,000 t-shirts per hour. It struck me that this is happening in the United States. When I saw the jackets that are represented in this artwork, it was the embroidery that really stood out. I am sure that it was a painstaking process to complete. I thought about the history of labor and especially women’s work in manufacturing. When I created the artwork, I altered it significantly to distort the original design, much like I imagine this kind of work changes the workers. I use digital media in order to make a smaller impact on the environment and only print works when collectors purchase them.