Jessica Herman

Decked out in an ensemble of red and blue tights peeking out from a pair of holey jeans and a sequined Western shirt, Dolan Geiman reminisces about his childhood, growing up in rural Virginia, working on the farm and taking girls out fishin'. He also talks about sneaking into abandoned houses as a high schooler, snatching up old books and dresses hung from lonely clotheslines and leaving a painting on the wall as an offering for the former residents. His stories, wildly romantic and mysterious, would seem irrelevant, except that they're woven into the fabric of his latest spawn, "Rescued Clothing."

A distant cousin of "deconstructed vintage" (or perhaps more aptly termed "reconstructed vintage"), "Rescued Clothing" comes in two variations. The first mode of rescue is accumulating clothing from abandoned houses, thrift stores and dumpster dives, byproducts of Geiman's packrat tendencies. Additionally, clients have the option of sending their personal garments to Geiman, giving him the freedom to rejuvenate them as he pleases. Leaving a garment's shape and style unaltered (excluding necessary touch-ups on the found items), he adorns it with homemade patches and screen-printed designs. The images range from 1920s pinup girls and guns to text from abandoned books printed on scraps of burlap sacks originally used to store sugar cane. Ducking into plastic bags stuffed with his wearable art, the artist pulls out his favorite garment: a velvet blazer sporting images of a Civil War soldier, a hot pink Illinois seal and a chunk of the militia flag, frays and all, sewn to the jacket's back.

"It's this idea that I am making them because I'm giving them life," he says, explaining that, beyond providing an element of intrigue, using already made garments allows him to keep prices low. Found items go for $35-$85 and custom-made garments cost $49. The work is a natural extension of his painting and collage background, which similarly incorporates found materials.

Formerly known for his alternative gallery Hockshop in Pilsen (co-founded with Ali Walsh), Geiman now focuses on selling his wares through his website (dolangeiman.com); he occasionally sets up shop at events and outside hipster hotspots like Filter. For now Geiman offers only one-of-a-kind, but look out in the spring for limited edition multiples made on American Apparel T-shirts.

(2005-03-15)

Also by Jessica Herman

Open for business
Banking on the market's obsession with brand names and logos, sportswear lines PUMA (1051 North Rush) and Adidas (923 North Rush) have up and changed their image right on Rush Street
(2005-03-01)

Open for business
Barely a week old, Jade (1557 North Milwaukee) exudes that minty-fresh aroma, with the scent of lilies wafting across the shiny wood floors, between the walls of jade green paint
(2005-02-22)

Tightly Knit
When DIY sprouts up in everyday conversation nowadays, it often refers to homemade sewn or knitted products
(2005-02-15)

One stop
In the age of Blackberries and iPods, in which convenience and efficiency are the most valuable commodities on the market, Guise (2217 North Halsted), is merely keeping up with the times
(2005-02-15)

The Sensuous Woman
(2005-02-01)

Fit to Print
(2005-01-18)

Stone roses
(2005-01-11)

Dancing with myself
(2005-01-04)

Flower power
(2005-01-04)

Skin spun
(2005-01-03)

Black Violin
(2004-12-21)

Dziner clothes
(2004-12-21)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment