Daniel Lismore:
Body of Work
London-based artist, designer, creative consultant, celebrity stylist, writer and campaigner Daniel Lismore has turned dressing into an art form.
He is known for his elaborate and extravagant ensembles that combine haute couture with vintage fabrics, found objects, chain mail, ethnic jewellery, millinery and more. Lismore was named by Vogue as England’s most eccentric dresser, and has been shot by and acted as creative consultant to photographers including Mert & Marcus, Steven Klein, David LaChapelle and Ellen von Unwerth. His first book, Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken features 32 of his sartorial creations that comprised his first museum exhibition, co-curated by Savannah College of Art and Design, now travelling. In 2019 he collaborated with the English National Opera. He was the face of H&M’s Close the Loop campaign to encourage the recycling of clothes, is an ambassador of the climate-change charity Cool Earth and has worked closely with Vivienne Westwood on her climate revolution projects. When VAULT spoke to Lismore he was in Miami for Art Basel, lying by the pool.
Naturally I’m wondering, “What would Daniel wear by the pool?”
I’m wearing a big caftan and huge sunglasses.
You’ve got to protect your skin! Ahead of your trip to Australia, let’s talk about your project,
and when you began to make your life your art,
as it were.
I guess it really started when I was a kid. I used to dress up in things around the house, and then I was obsessed with all these antiques my parents collected. They were antiques dealers. And then as a teen, I really experimented with my look. I studied art at school and I got obsessed with the world of Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol and celebrities. And then I moved to London at the age of 17 and I was a model.
You’ve had a really great response from
the art world.
Well, apart from security staff thinking I’m a performance artist, it’s been good.. .. Subscribe to read this article in full
