Stolen Girlfriends Club has once again collaborated with renowned Sydney-based photographer Derek Henderson to create a selection of pieces within their latest range, 'I Don’t Want To Go Out'.
The moody images that appear on the fronts of hoodies and tees, as well as large scale panel-prints on viscose pieces, are from Henderson’s unpublished archives. "The image of the horse and foal was taken near the lighthouse on the East Cape," said the photographer. "They are... observations I make of places I go to, often they are fleeting and I see them from the car and stop and go back and take a photo. Some places I return to, they seem to have a hold on me."
Henderson was part of an anti-brat pack of Kiwis who helped define fashion in 90s New Zealand, through photography, styling and make-up. But Henderson’s work runs further than fashion; he is a globally respected artist who exhibits work as part of his fine-arts practice both nationally and internationally. The creative partnership between Henderson and Stolen’s Creative Director Marc Moore began when the brand was in its infancy. "I remember this young bunch of surfers taking on the fashion industry," said Henderson. "And I was like here we go, this is going to be interesting."
With Stolen approaching its sixteenth year, Moore got in touch with Henderson to help him bring to life the collection’s theme. "Escape from the ‘real’ world into calmer waters: sabbath and rest from the twin drugs of accumulation and accomplishment," Moore explained. He chose a variety of images taken during Henderson’s road trips across New Zealand - landscapes, burning fires and wise white horses help tell a story of hope for the future and a longing for the past.
"It’s not normally how you would see your images, for the most they are in magazines, galleries, books," added Henderson. "I like it, it feels like it’s giving life back to something that’s normally static. Marc does a great job of transforming those images."
Moore is looking forward to the much-anticipated collection pieces being out in the world. "Derek has a way of making ordinary, sometimes sad moments so beautiful and I think it works perfectly with Stolen’s own way of finding beauty in things that don’t quite fit into the norm."
