"Bankers on Wall Street definitely have them. My brother in law who works for Goldman Sachs has them," says Myles Levin, managing director of J Shoes. No, he's not talking about the latest Sony mini walkman, or the slick YSL iPod nano case. He's talking about tattoos. Apparently, these days, the markers of bikers are fast becoming the markers of bankers - not to mention everyone else.
Clements Ribeiro, Hollywood favourite Raw 7, and even Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld's personal favourite clothier, Chrome Hearts, have all put out tattoo-inspired collections in the last year. At the same time, mainstream designer Tommy Hilfiger has been showcasing the actual body markings of Lenny Kravitz and Tyson Beckford in his advertising campaign. The debate on whether or not to tattoo has jumped from the back room parlour into the every day: US cable channel A&E launched a show about the Hart and Huntington tattoo parlour in the Palms casino. Inked, starring motor cross champ Carey Hart, became so popular, it secured a corporate sponsor in Jones Soda. And the show Miami Ink has made neo-celebrities of the artists who work at the featured tattoo salon. Web-based bulletin boards discuss the lives of stars Ami James, Chris Nunez, Chris Garver and Darren Brass - along with apprentice Yoji Harada - and one entire site is even dedicated to popular artist Kat von D who joined the cast after Darren Brass broke his elbow last season.
J Shoes - which is carried at Fred Segal, Dillon's, and Nordstrom in the US, Office and Jones Bootmaker in London, and is also sold in Panama, Puerto Rico and Vancouver - started using tattoo art and artists to create designs on their men's shoes as an experiment, and has seen an upsurge in their sales to City types ever since. "We made a few samples as just a showcase for how interesting we could be, and then suddenly they were picked up all over," says Levin. "Tattoos used to be for sailors, derelicts, biker outcasts, people on the fringe, and in some ways it can still be out there, but now it's very public."
Tattoo artists employed by Levin burn, cut and etch the leather in whatever style they want to create. Oils and inks are applied and as a result no two pairs are alike. "It is kind of like on skin, no one canvas is the same," says Levin. "We've done 12 pair runs now, 400 pairs so far. It is a way to get the tattoo art to move from the skin to different canvases. It's not a high margin item when you do everything by hand and it's not mass produced, but the motivation is to advance the art."
Some feel that the explosion of tattoo work on clothing is the result of a waning interest in permanent body art, or the fact that, for those in the corporate world, tattoos still have to be hidden. "You see guys who envy a lifestyle but don't necessarily live it, and the tattoo is a small piece of that," says Marisol Gerona, head designer of Raw 7. "I know folks on Wall Street or working in the movie studios who have tattoos on their arms or on their backs and they are wearing button front shirts so you don't see them. But then at night, they turn into something else, like a Jekyll and Hyde thing."
It's easier not to have to hide in the first place, though; to buy the experience without making the lifetime commitment. Carey Hart says clothing is a way to avoid a very public error. "With celebrities, it's just more public about the mistakes they make. It has always been frowned upon getting a person's name tattooed." Besides, he says, the clothing extension was to be expected. "Think of how popular the chopper scene is. T- shirts, hats, etc. and how many people actually own a chopper? How many have a tattoo?"
Then there is also the matter of religion to be considered. "We have an intern who is Jewish and very religious and religion prevents her from getting tattoos," says J Shoes' Levin. Wearing tattoos skirts the issue, says Bianca Kosoy, creative director for Equinox Gyms. Indeed, nearly everyone interviewed for this article brought up the topic of religion. Though rumour has it that tattoos can prevent a religious burial, Rabbi Neil Borovitz of Temple Sholom, New Jersey, says that technically this is not true.
"Fundamentally, the issue of tattoos has to do with the desecration of the body, with showing honour to the body because it's a creation of God, it's in the spirit of respect to the Earth," he says. "Tattooing is forbidden by Leviticus 19 verse 28 but there's no place that it says you can't be buried. That's a popular myth, and there's a whole tradition dating back to Adam and Eve making rules that are intended to protect you against violating a prohibition. But in truth, it's a sin, and Jews who commit sins can be buried."
Kosoy points out that she got into tattoos when she worked at a fashion label that endorsed them as a way of expression. "Everyone wears ripped jeans and flip flops to meetings and they're sporting vintage style tattoos, Flash and Sailor Jerry." Similarly, Rockstyle and the also-Hollywood-popular Troy Kingdom, with their high-end line of expensive cashmere focusing on tattoo-inspired design, appeal to a more casual lifestyle, with tanks, hoodies and sweatpants flying out of speciality shops such as Fred Segal and Lisa Kline.
"It's more to do with art than fashion," says Chrome Hearts co-owner Laurie Lynn Stark of the label's multigenerational tattoo-inspired clothing and jewellery. "The shirts have become recognisable because the print is laid out like a tattoo the way it is on the sleeve or lower back. It's also been highly copied. What we do gives the wearer a bit of an edge. They get a look without having to buy the actual piece. The demographics of the shop reflect an affinity for the lifestyle more than its utter adoption."
And the affinity seems to be growing. In addition to their New York, Los Angeles and Japan shops and a presence at Browns in London and Colette in Paris, Chrome Hearts is doing so well that the label has opened a shop in Las Vegas and will unveil a Paris flagship store in June.
Not everyone thinks this is a good thing, however. Kosoy says that the popularity of tattoo clothing has compromised the art. "People treat you differently when you have an actual tattoo. I feel like a rock star. People assume you're some kind of celebrity in areas like Soho where tourists go to see what they think of as celebrity. But it used to be something cool and different; there was a fringe component to it and in a way I am saddened by it becoming mainstream. When teenagers come in with Mom to sign a consent form and it's on reality TV, that means everyone will be getting them."
Syl Tang tracks trends and runs HipGuide Inc.
ceo@hipguide.com
INK WELLS
■www.raw-7.com
■www.jshoes.com
■www.chromehearts.com
■www.tommy.com
■www.rockstyle.com
■www.troykingdom.com
