Scooter LaForge Hosted Debut Runway Show at Fashion Week El Paseo

Scooter LaForge presented hand-painted clothing during his debut runway show.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

With Blondie’s “Atomic” on repeat, spliced between arcade video game sounds and a circus of audio effects, Scooter LaForge put on a joyfully jolting runway debut on the fifth night of Fashion Week El Paseo.

“Destroyed and put back together” are LaForge’s words for the apex collection of re-imagined, sustainable fashion he brought to Palm Desert, following decades of selling his hand-painted T-shirts on the streets of Manhattan, in nightclubs, and in the Patricia Field ArtFashion boutique.

Before the first model danced her way down the runway, LaForge introduced himself with a short, documentary-style video. A childhood diet of after-school and Saturday morning cartoons manifests in his paintings. He still reads comic books, and he makes his bed with Charlie Brown sheets.

Painted Chanel handbag.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

As a working painter and sculptor based in New York City, LaForge feels as free as a kid in a toy box. His “no boundaries and limitations when it comes to painting” philosophy shows. He has slathered human bodies, television sets, Dior suits, and — really raising the Fashion Week set’s eyebrows — designer handbags by Gucci, Chanel, and even (audible gasp from Row 2) the Birkin.

A world away from his East Village apartment, where he has painted the walls in “fairy tales” of his own storytelling, his fashion hijinks amused and inspired. Performance art met improv with the runway as its stage.

A cavalcade of painted and tie-dyed T-shirts opened the imaginative show, forming a cheat sheet of LaForge’s influences. Pop art, collage, graffiti, mixed media, stream of consciousness, play on words, nostalgia. Kids at heart got a kick from each one. His messy, emotionally charged odes to Porky Pig, Garfield, Sponge Bob, and E.T. foretold a full show of 3D wearable art with actual stuffed animals sewn onto several pieces.

Model wears Garfield shirt.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

Model poses in a colorful dress.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

Inherent in the collection, even more than humor or subtle commentary, was the artistic yet pragmatic belief that clothing can be anything and anything can be clothing. For LaForge, it all started with the garbage bag worn as statement attire in Blondie’s video for “Atomic,” filmed in 1979. (His longtime muse, Debbie Harry, is also a friend.) Found objects find their ways into his reworked hand-me-downs, plain tees, vintage treasures, and army fatigues.

T-shirts transitioned to a parade of repurposed flannel and Western shirts, button-downs, leather jackets, and lab coats. A wearable salmon pink jumpsuit painted with 12-inch blue flowers drew cheers. A black nightshirt drew the eye with a larger-than-life painted gold rendition of the male physique.

Paint complements LaForge’s collage techniques, where he sews on a face, hand-cut fringe trim, or a de-stuffed stuffed animal. Piecemeal dresses scrapped together from fragments of various castaways (plus a bit of garbage bag tacked on the back) joined simple pullover cotton styles painted in skulls, hearts, and the word “LOVE.”

Model wears a horse shirt.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY L. CLARK

Model wears a distressed long sleeve with 3D monkey.
PHOTO BY YASIN CHAUDHRY

Model wears plaid button up with fringe.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY L. CLARK

The artist paired his one-off apparel with jeans, torn jeggings, and tulle miniskirts, then accessorized with painted purses, painted cowboy hats, and bright feathers in models’ tresses, placed like a mohawk. The demographic might lean young or urban, but style always favors the bold.

To appreciate the world’s first fashion show by Scooter LaForge, one doesn’t need to know that he has dressed Beyoncé and Madonna, exhibited his artwork for more than 20 years, and holds a BFA from the University of Arizona. His hand-painted clothes — chaotic or cathartic — share this in common with works in a museum: No bio need be provided; no explanation is necessary.

BUY TICKETS: Fashion Week El Paseo continues through March 21.

LaForge’s vivacious works required an uninhibited cast of characters to make them sing and shout. Onlookers seemed to revel in the uncertainty of who might appear next. The spontaneous dancer, the frowner in the sad clown T-shirt, and the pair bumping hips to the music prompted phones to be held high for photos and videos in more guests’ hands than not.

Scooter LaForge.
PHOTO BY TIFFANY L. CLARK

The exuberant randomness of a male model sporting a T-shirt painted with Popeye and throwing out a toe-touching Russian jump at the runway’s end earned whistles and whoops, as did many such moments throughout the show, where LaForge’s upcycled garments were as unpredictable and off the wall as models’ mannerisms. The endearingly motley crew conjured a Breakfast Club of sorts. The jock flexing his muscles, the prissy girl blowing kisses, the pretty boy mugging for the cameras, and the punk-rebel pretending he doesn’t give a damn. On their feet, Doc Martens, Converse high-tops, cowboy boots, and platform heels punctuated the theatrics.

The lyrics to Blondie’s “Atomic,” a song that has little to do with lyrics, are perfectly abstract, and perfectly tailored for an untailored show like LaForge’s. Its three main phrases — “Make me tonight,” “Oh, your hair is beautiful,” and “Atomic!” — mirror the night’s takeaway. That is, make of it what you will and have a blast along the way.

When the lights came up, few headed for the doors. Guests wanted to stay and extol the show with any stranger nearby. “It was so unique and fun. It made you feel like you wanted to start skipping down the catwalk with the models,” was one overheard comment. Another guest acquiesced. “I had a smile on my face the whole time.”

Model wears cowboy hat and yellow shirt with shorts.
PHOTO BY ASHLEY MEJIA

Model wears oversized shirt with multipatterned skirt.
PHOTO BY ASHLEY MEJIA

The party continued down the street at That Gallery, where LaForge mingled with fans (and fellow Fashion Week El Paseo participating designer Leon Klaassen Bos of LeonLeon) and autographed at least one T-shirt for a happy shopper.

In its 17th year, Fashion Week El Paseo has established itself as a preeminent event for the city of Palm Desert. Its mature status has cultivated the leverage to craft a diverse lineup, juxtaposing iconic and emerging talents. Attendees dress up and head out the door expecting the unexpected, hoping for an evening with a memorable twist of unforeseen delight. The event’s creative producer and director, Susan Stein, knew LaForge would bring it.

“This is the antifashion fashion show,” Stein says of his unconventional presentation and the designer’s pieces born from thrift store finds and discarded fast fashions. “I love sustainability. And when you combine art and fashion and sustainability, you’re actually doing something wonderful for the world.”

LaForge will host a pop-up shop on Wednesday, March 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the upper level at The Gardens on El Paseo. This shopping event and chance to meet with the designer is free and open to the general public.