Art to Artwear: Get to know fashion designer and artist David Sirota

Before David Sirota could read or write, he filled notebooks with drawings of letters, cartoons and faces. Even when teachers later stopped him, doodles spilled into the margins of homework and bled into the corners of textbooks. Doodling evolved into sketching, and his simple cartoons were replaced with intricate portraits and beautiful landscapes.

Although his passion for art existed as long as Sirota can remember, his love for fashion design came much later. When he was 10 years old, growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, he stumbled upon the work of French designer Erté in a Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Immediately captivated, Sirota replicated each design in his sketchbook until he drew every last one. After that, his sketchbook expanded to include original designs of dresses, shoes, hats, bags, and even jewelry. This was the start of the guiding principle of all his work: Fashion and art are intertwined, one cannot exist without the other.

When Sirota began college in the fall of 2020, he saw his first opportunity to turn his lifelong passion into a business. Studying art history and entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California, he entered his freshman year with a clear goal: start his own fashion brand and build a career as a designer.

Sirota served as the director of outreach for the USC Fashion Industry Association (FIA), and made his second-ever runway appearance during its annual fashion show in 2023. That previous summer, he attended Parsons School of Design in Paris, where heused a sewing machine for the first time, rather than crafting his designs solely by hand.

Following Parsons, Sirota’s designs were featured in several runway shows around the world, including Fashion Week in both Paris and Milan. In March 2023, two months shy of graduating, Sirota founded his self-titled fashion label. His designs, which he describes as “avant-garde, timeless attire,” are influenced by renowned artists and fashion designers, as well as Sirota’s everyday experiences living in New York City.

“My inspiration for [David Sirota Designs] is vast,” he said in an interview from his apartment conducted over Zoom. “I love Modigliani, Picasso, and Dalí. I love Schiaparelli, Alaïa, and Givenchy. I am most inspired when I’m outside in the middle of nowhere with flowers around, or in busy New York City at a flea market.”

David Sirota Designs specializes in artwear, fashion designed to be viewed as works of art, instead of just functional garments. Artwear is typically hand-made, Sirota’s specialty, incorporating innovative techniques such as hand-painting or mixed media into the pieces. Sirota got into the field after searching for a way to incorporate his artwork into his fashion designs.

“I have always been fascinated with drawing and painting, but also fashion. So I thought to myself, How do I fuse together these two passions of mine? That’s when it became clear to me that artwear is my creative outlet.” Sirota said. “It means I paint on clothes, on different fabrics. Old ones, new ones, sustainable ones…For example, my mom’s old jeans – I repurposed them and painted on them to create a dress.”

Sirota’s designs incorporate various textiles such as faux fur and muslin; many have ruffled edges and raw hems, a nod to the deconstructed nature of his artwork. He incorporates surrealist touches, such as disjointed shapes and exaggerated proportions, and art deco-like geometric shapes and bold colors into his pieces. Though his work emulates famed artists from these movements, Sirota maintains that his designs are wholly original and one-of-a-kind creations.

Recently, Sirota had his most recent collection, “Art to Artwear,” featured in an exhibit at the La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy. The exhibit featured two of his paintings and three of his artwear designs.

Sirota said the exhibition was an invitation to explore the intersection of art, design, and the human experience. Wearable art is known for being a canvas to tell stories and make a statement, and Sirota did just that. With this collection, Sirota told a story about how greed and materialism shape the human experience.

“In my art, I aim to portray what it means to be human in our material world. I aim to portray the struggles we face in the ongoing war inside our minds dealing with greed, desire, and benevolence.” Sirota said. “Each piece reflects our internal battles, a manifestation of the tension between our material desires and our quest for a higher, more meaningful existence.”

In the piece “Bit by Poison,” Sirota illustrates a human succumbing to what he calls “a dirty dollar.” Grappling with their identity, the car on the right represents the individual on their journey as they travel through time, trying to understand their soul beyond material wealth and human desires. The other figures, looming above and beside the human, represent temptations that keep the individual from realizing their true identity. The waterfall is symbolic of a rebirthed soul, washed away from worldly possessions and material greed. There are nods to Venice and Paris, with illustrations of a red mask and the Eiffel Tower, respectively.

His second painting that was featured, “A Woman’s Greed,” once again illustrates his subject in a vulnerable, transitional phase, trying to discover themselves in the context of the material world. The pink figure holds her down as she desperately tries to claw her way out of the painting. Though not obvious at first glance, the piece contains a nod to “Bit by Poison” as well as the three outfits featured in the exhibit.

“The material world has consumed her, but out of the dark, she escapes the creature, and through the moon, she voyages to the other painting in the green car on a journey of chaos and self-discovery.” Sirota said. “Once past all the different emotions, phases, and faces in the other painting, she reaches the artwear. She tries on the clothes and discovers who she is. The clothes symbolize rebirth. In them, she feels free and confident in who she is. Her individuality and self-image blossom.”

These themes are present in the artwear itself, particularly a dress that features a face eerily similar to the one in “Bit by Poison.” Here, Sirota painted vibrant flowers, adding a pop to the black fabric and illuminating an otherwise straightforward silhouette.

While his designs are no longer being showcased at the Venice Biennale, that doesn’t mean Sirota isn’t staying busy working on his art and fashion. His next project is a ready-to-wear line, marking a transition from hand-made creations to larger-scale production. In addition to his art and designs, Sirota also runs the Instagram page @SirotaFashionSchool, which seeks to cultivate a community of creatives within the fashion and art space like himself.

But while he’s been featured in fashion shows and cultural exhibits, Sirota says nothing beats the high of seeing his designs come to life. Being able to transform his artwork into wearable, functional garments has been an empowering experience, and his hope is that those who wear his designs feel the same.

“Art and design speak multiple languages,” he said, speaking with evident passion and pride. “Connect through generations, carry personal narratives, and unite [people] everywhere.”