DTLA Artist Jon Planas Launches Vibrant Wearable Art Collection for Pride
Los Angeles Artist Launches Pride-Inspired Wearable Art Collection
Downtown Los Angeles artist and designer Jon Planas is set to unveil a Pride-inspired wearable art collection on Monday, June 1. This upcoming collection aims to blend fashion and fine art, promoting unity, empowerment, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.
The collection will showcase approximately 25 pieces, including T-shirts, hoodies, and accessories, all derived from Planas’s original artwork transformed into everyday items. “It’s not just geared for people who are in the rainbow spectrum… there is no spectrum that isn’t covered by my designs. I hope it will definitely be something that will make a statement,” Planas said. “It’s not going to be a quiet thing.”
In addition to clothing, the collection will offer wall art and limited edition canvas prints, each signed and accompanied by certificates of authenticity. “These are all going to be fantastic pieces that you can buy and take home and have a conversation about the design,” he added.
Born in Lima, Peru, Planas moved to the United States with his family at the age of seven. He spent the first 30 years of his life in New York City, where he expressed himself creatively through both fashion and fine art. Influenced by the vibrant color palette of his surroundings, Planas graduated from the Pratt Institute with a degree in film and fine arts. Notably, he wore a hand-painted tuxedo inspired by Salvador Dalí to his graduation, capturing the attention of commencement speaker Malcolm Forbes, who remarked on the uniqueness of his attire.
This innovative approach shifted the trajectory of Planas’s career. While dancing at Studio 54 one night, he impressed both Andy Warhol and designer Calvin Klein with his hand-painted jacket. “He completely stopped in his tracks and said, ‘Did you make this? What are you doing?’ I explained that painting on clothing was my way of working due to my living situation,” Planas recounted.
His hand-painted jackets gained popularity, worn by celebrities such as Madonna, Cher, and Cyndi Lauper. Later, he contributed to the Absolut Vodka campaign, further solidifying his status in the commercial art world.
Now residing in Downtown Los Angeles, Planas continues to create works that reflect his personal history. He emphasizes that the Pride collection is designed to resonate with a wide audience beyond the LGBTQ+ community. Each piece begins as a hand-painted artwork that evolves into prints and is applied to clothing and accessories. Planas describes these items as “graphic art-driven pieces meant to be seen, worn, and felt.”
The collection will be accessible through his website and Etsy shop, with select works available via appointment at his downtown studio. With this launch, Planas aspires for his designs to foster connections among people. “The designs that they’re wearing are meant to be joyful. They’re meant to be inclusive,” he explained. “They’re meant to create not only style but also a sense of connection between people.”
More Information
Jon Planas’s Pride collection will be available on Monday, June 1.
