From art to fashion: Ken Scott’s journey through fabrics and colors
From art to fashion: Ken Scott’s journey through fabrics and colors
Life and works of the visionary Ken Scott
George Kenneth Scott, born in 1918 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, was a designer and artist who revolutionized the world of fashion and interior design in the last century, thanks to his bold use of colors and patterns.
Due to the premature death of his father, initially entered the artistic world as a window dresser after school to help his family. This opportunity served as his first steppingstone into the world of art, allowing him, during the 1950s-70s, to dress some of the most beautiful and influential women of the time, such as Jacqueline Kennedy and Monica Vitti.
After completing his studies at Parsons School of Design in New York, he began his career, marked by many changes and travels. Initially, he worked as a designer of upholstery and fabrics, setting up window displays and backgrounds for photographers. A few years later, in 1946, he developed an interest in painting and moved to France, alternating between Paris and the French Riviera. It was within this context that, after receiving early praises from Marc Chagall and Peggy Guggenheim, he began his career in the fashion world. Inspired by the landscapes and their colors, he produced his first fabric paintings. His unique artistic flair and eccentric touch quickly attracted attention and admiration: in 1954, Christian Dior decided to incorporate one of his sketches into the spring-summer haute couture collection.
In 1955, he decided to move to Milan, where he opened his first studio and, together with Vittorio Fiorazzo, founded the brand “Falconetto”, a company specializing in luxury fabrics. Falconetto aimed to design high-quality products for furnishings, with fabrics characterized by bright colors, flowers, fruits, and playful, abstract geometric shapes, reflecting the unconventional vision of the American artist.
In the 1960s, he launched his clothing line, featuring fabrics decorated with large flowers and natural motifs. His ability to transform the natural world into fashion and design earned him the nickname “The Gardener of Fashion,” and his creations were appreciated by celebrities and influential figures such as Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy.
In 1969, he opened “Eats & Drinks,” a restaurant in Milan entirely designed by him: every decoration, service, and detail of that environment was his creation. Additionally, given his love for cooking and the many places he had visited, his restaurant offered the first example of “fusion” cuisine, resulting from the union of different culinary traditions. Through “Eats & Drinks,” Ken Scott once again demonstrated that there were no limits to his artistic ability.
Until his passing in 1991, Ken Scott continued to create fascinating and vibrant works, primarily inspired by the natural world he held so dear, remaining a precursor and interpreter of the trends of his time.
Ken Scott was a man of the most generous and kaleidoscopic talent that the world of fashion had known in the second half of the last century, and beyond. He was also a formidable mentor for many students who learned from him a unique interpretation of the natural world, a distinctive use of colors, and much more, such as how to express their love for life through their work (excerpt from “Ken Scott,” published by Rizzoli, 2022).
The Ken Scott Foundation, created by the artist himself in 1988, currently preserves and promotes his rich artistic heritage, continuing to pass on his cultural legacy and inspire new projects in the field of design. The Foundation’s archive holds drawings, fabric samples, clothing, accessories, and a comprehensive press review of the designer’s entire activity.
To honor and remember the beautiful creations made by Ken Scott, Inkiostro Bianco has created a collection in collaboration with the Ken Scott brand, featuring six wallpapers based on some of the designer’s most iconic patterns. Ken Scott Unconventional includes designs that celebrate the transformative power of design, with the aim of creating spaces that reflect the personality and spirit of those who inhabit them. Each pattern represents a fusion between fashion and interior design, two worlds so dear to Ken Scott, allowing anyone to see walls as canvases to be painted with emotions and stories.
Inkiostro Bianco and the Ken Scott brand invite design enthusiasts, dreamers, and those who love to experiment to be inspired by the six stunning designs in this collection. The Ken Scott Unconventional collection will transform spaces into unique and unforgettable visual experiences.
Photo credits:
Archivio Fondazione Ken Scott © Howell Conant
Archivio Fondazione Ken Scott
Virginia Guiotto per Archivio Fondazione Ken Scott