This UAE artist transforms clothes into works of art

From sketching on sneakers to creating giant puppets, there's little UAE-based artist Charlotte Hudders cannot do

Last year, the white sneaker trend had taken over the fashion landscape. And while the trend is still going strong this year, fashionistas have now taken to jazzing up their all-white sneakers with coloured laces or ribbons. The more adventurous are the ones who go to Charlotte Hudders for a personalised sketch - so they are literally wearing art on their feet.
The UAE-based artist's collaboration with Level Shoes had her creating personalised artworks for customers' shoes within the store itself, so she was sketching on designs, from dragons to flowers all under the eyes, and cameras, of customers.
"The first time I did it, I was so nervous," says the artist, who hails from Blackpool, England. "It's live art and people really like to watch. So, everybody's staring and taking videos and I'm trying to tune it all out as I sketch."

(Samples of Charlotte Hudders' work)
Of course, the final effect is gorgeous, and Charlotte is now much more comfortable working in front of a crowd, drawing on roughly 12-15 pairs in just four hours. "I now have people contacting me through Instagram, asking if I can paint their shoes," she laughs. "In the
future, I'd love to start painting other accessories - maybe even handbags and clothes."
Clearly, this isn't Charlotte's first attempt at blending art and fashion. In fact, some would say it was in her blood; her mother worked as a dressmaker and artist. Her father's digital printing business in England dates back to her great grandfather, who worked as a sign writer. In fact, her parents met in art school! With a background like that, Charlotte always knew she wanted to dabble in the arts - the problem was she couldn't pick just one.
"I struggled a lot because I was so interested in different ways of doing things," she confesses. "When I was doing my art foundation course, I was really interested in textiles, but out of a class of 25, everybody just wanted to get into fashion. At that point, I just didn't want to be a fashion designer - I wanted to do something unique and outlandish. I wanted to create headpieces and clothes that weren't confined to fashion - ones that would be a statement onto themselves. Which is why I got into costume designing instead."
Of course, a few years later, art and fashion came together when she moved to Bali, on her brother's advice, and started working for a fashion label. There, she would take pictures of artwork and turn it into digital designs and then print them out on cloth.
"That's when I realised I missed doing my own thing - I've always been very independent. I did my research, and ended up going to Italy to get my own artwork printed onto silk scarves - the tagline of my brand being wearable art. That's when I decided to merge the two."
She may have put together a line of scarves, but this artist refuses to let herself be boxed in as a designer. Having come to Dubai two and a half years ago, she has created costumes, from giant caterpillars to fairy wings, for numerous clients. Last year saw her working on skeleton puppets for Fiesta De Los Muertos, a Halloween-themed concert that saw celebrities like Major Lazer perform. This year saw her collaborating with Voss to create a headpiece, shaped like flowing water, for blogger Natalia Shustova to wear to the Dubai World Cup. She's also working with design company House of Moira to hand-paint couture wedding dresses, and in an appearance in Dubai International Film Festival in 2015, wore a gown made of red carpet, on the red carpet.
"The thing about Dubai is that there's never a dull day," laughs Charlotte. "If I was in London, I think my work would be mostly for the theatre, but over here, there's been something new every year. Today, when I speak to fashion designers and explain what I do, they're usually so stunned!"
She may not identify solely as a designer, but she surely is inspired by them. Other than nature, Charlotte takes inspiration from designers such as Iris Van Herpen, Alexander McQueen and Manish Arora, who she calls artists in their own right. So, at what exact point does it stop being fashion and start being art?
"I don't think it has to stop being one or the other," Charlotte muses. "Fashion is blending with art now more than ever - when you look at the top designers, they are always influenced by artists. The two go hand in hand. But the beautiful thing about wearable art is that it's accessible. A painting can cost a fortune on your walls. But you pick it up in a scarf or a pair of painted shoes and suddenly it's customised and personal. And I would like to think that's what I offer."
janice@khaleejtimes.com