I went to a fascinating talk by Mo Coppoletta at the Museum of Fashion. It was partly out of curiosity as to the relevence of tattoos in Fashion plus Alice and her partner Maximillion did a wonderful article for this blog about the Milan Tattoo convention and I thought it was about time I found out more.

Tattoos are a phenomenon sweeping the UK and it is estimated that half the population has one. Something this big must be having an influence on other aspects of surface pattern design and Mo Coppoletta is the living proof of this.

His work has been reviewed in the press including the Financial Times and he has collaborated with the likes of Damian Hurst to Liberty of London over the last few years.

Tattooist Makes Mark on Luxury

“In an effort to expand his business, tattoo artist Mo Coppoletta has begun work with high-end brands such as London’s Liberty and watchmaker Romain Jerome. Emma Jacobs Reports.”

Click here to watch the Financial Times video on Coppoletta.

The watch Coppoletta designed for luxury brand Romain Jerome is drawn from seafaring icons of the 18th century. The anchor represents stability and the swallow, a bird that never flies far from the coast, represents hope. He discussed every detail with the Swiss watchmaker and an animated film was produced to launch the watch.

Click here to watch the film A Sailor’s Grave on mocoppoletta.com

The Tattoo-DNA collection comes in two versions and only 25 of each is being made. The lightning bolts have an underlay of superluminova and there is a choice of strap, one of which is skin-coloured and tattooed by Coppoletta.

Liberty Art Fabrics collaborated with Mo Coppoletta for the Earthly Paradise collection as part of the Tattoo or ‘touch’ story.

Quoting from this site below:

You’ve helped create three designs for the collection – Daydream, Growing Fonder, and Joy and Sorrow – what inspired each one?

With “Growing Fonder” and “Joy and Sorrow” I wanted to explore the possibility of reinterpreting Liberty’s famous logo and ever-present symbol, the peacock feather. In “Growing Fonder” I had a more graphic approach with a nod towards art nouveau lines and shapes, but still retaining a good dose of romanticism with the 2 peacocks outlining a heart shape.

The Duvelleroy company was established in 1827 in Paris and is one of the rare fan makers still in existence today.

To find out more, please visit www.duvelleroy.fr

Mo Coppoletta has created a delicate image of a caged and uncaged bird following the idea of mounting the fan « à la sultane », with half the sticks in front, and half the sticks at the back of the leaf. This way, the frame of the fan becomes the cage from which a bird is set free. The exquisite fan has been designed by Mo Coppoletta for Duvelleroy’s prêt à porter collection which will be followed by another piece for their remarkable couture collection in September.

From mocoppoletta.com

I found the talk that Mo gave fascinating and was much comforted by his insistence that Tattoos are something very personal and private. He urged recipients to carefully consider the type of tattoo they wished and the quality as this is something that should last forever. He normally has several consultations with his clients to discuss their design needs and the appropriate style and positioning on an individual.

Does this not sound so familiar to print designers parse?

My mind has been opened to a form of pattern design that I had not truly understood nor appreciated until recently. The influence of tattoos on fashion in recent years has been great and excellent surface pattern design should be championed in all mediums.