Claw Money's Vandal's drop in London and exhibition opens

New York-based graf artist/designer Claw Money has come to London for the launch of her first UK solo exhibition and to see her second collaboration for Nike go on sale at Foot Patrol and Dover Street Market.

Claw has the honour of being the only female artist to collaborate with trainer giant Nike and while the Vandals went on sale in New York three weeks, we in the UK have had to wait to be able to purchase them. An east London-based design agency, Checkinit run by two enterprising young ladies, was commissioned to create a Claw Money exhibition. 'Bouncing on Top of The World' was erected in just two days and features a window display of Claw's trainers and installations featuring a water bottle Claw designed to mark the occasion as well as a CDs again designed by the artist herself. Claw's clothing and jewellery is displayed as well as some gold chain belts made by the Checkinit team. There's also a video installation and the walls and ceilings have been decked out in images representative of Claw's scrapbook-style 2002 book Bombshell: The Life and Crimes of Claw Money. There are also dreamy blue skies - it's a visual feast that pays homage to a woman who spent 15 years painting her trademark three-pronged claw across New York.

"My graffiti wasn't pretty, I wasn't trying to be 'a woman doing graffiti', I think I impressed people because I used so much paint!" In 2002 Ms Money stopped bombing completely and launched her clothing and accessory company. While she has stockists in the US, Tokyo and Paris, there aren't as yet any UK stockists. Claw last came to London five years ago and she is planning on "eating beans on toast and a few sausages, going up in the London Eye at dusk and visiting the crown jewels." Jewellery is one of her passions and she's very excited about seeing "the craftmanship" which has produced the Queen's collection. "I'm hitting London hard and have got lots of friends from Europe coming to hook up". She also plans to visit the Carnaby area and Dover Street Market but sadly has just three days to cram it all in.

The collaboration with Nike is her first trainer line, but Claw wouldn't rule out creating her own-brand trainers in the future. She beamed whilst talking about her pilot TV show for VH1, "they only wanted me for my duds," she joked, explaining that she has a huge personal collection of hip hop clothing which she's been accruing over the last 15 years. "It's historical, you don't tend to find these clothes in secondhand shops so I preserving them. I've got great bootlegs like a purse [bag] with a Christian Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton logos and loads of fake Gucci stuff. It was a big thing in New York in hip hop - we had all these fantastic pieces which were like 'luxury' stuff appropriated by the street." Her collection mainly focuses on clothes from 1982-1995.

Claw Money had no input on the manufacture of her Nike shoes ("I think no-one does sneakers as well as Nike), but she designs and manufactures all her own clothing and accessories in New York and recently brought out a peacock sweatshirt which echoes the print used on the Vandals. Ms Money has no regrets about giving it up and says she feels no inclination to grab a can of Rust Oleum (her favourite spray) and make her mark across London. "It seems so long ago and it feels like a film I was in."

Words: Marian Buckley

Claw's Money's Nike Vandals cost £80 and go on sale at Foot Patrol 16a St Anne's Court, W1 (020 7734 6625) with an intsallation by Checkinit.and Dover Street Market 17-18 Dover Street (020 7518 0680) on Friday November 8.

Bouncing On Top Of The World is at The Blink Gallery 11 Poland Street London W1 (020 7 4398585) from November 9 two weeks and is open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Saturday 12pm-4pm. Free entry.

www.clawmoney.com

http://www.blinkgallery.com/

fuk.co.uk's original Claw Nike story http://www.fuk.co.uk/news/claws_vandal_for_nike_drops_this_month