Douglas Ferguson

The mesh he used had originally been developed by Whiting & Davis in the 1920s as a material for evening bags and purses, but his techniques were unique to himself.

Douglas Ferguson (born 1951) is a multidisciplinary artist mainly known for his fashion designs using enamelled metal mesh and hand-painted leather which received widespread exposure in the 1980s.

Douglas Richard Ferguson was born in 1951.

He studied fine art in Rome, and in Philadelphia, but dropped out after three years, saying that he wanted to 'try everything' rather than focus on painting as his tutors wished.

Among other jobs, he worked as a model, a stitcher-in of labels, and a taxicab driver, but most notably worked as a personal assistant to Diana Vreeland at the Costume Institute.

As this was a volunteer role, he subsidized it by driving a Checker Taxi at night.

Since starting out in the 1970s as Diana Vreeland's voluntary assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, he has also worked as an interior designer and film-maker.

Ferguson launched his career at the turn of the 1970s/80s with hand-painted leather goods and furniture.

He went on to work as Diana Vreeland's exhibition assistant for the 1979-81 Costume Institute shows Fashions of the Hapsburg Era and The Manchu Dragon.

On 20 August 1980, Harper's Bazaar featured a photograph by Francesco Scavullo of the model Kelly Le Brock wrapped in Ferguson's painted leathers.

One of Ferguson's first successes was a decorative wooden flapper doll for the Mudd Club, which attracted the attention of the designer Patricia Field and led to her commissioning his hand-painted leather and chiffon dresses for her boutique.

He also made painted leather garments, including shawls and kilts for Maud Frizon, Carol Rollo at 'Riding High', and Johnny Ward.

His designs were also stocked by Robert Lee Morris in his Artwear shop, a showcase for artisan jewelry and accessories.

In 1981 Ferguson was highlighted by The New York Times as one of a new wave of up-and-coming British and American designers alongside 'Vivien Westwood' [sic], Anna Sui, and Mary Jane Marcasiano.

Although his hand-painted suede and chiffon work was described as initially seeming 'more like rags than fashion,' once it was on a figure, it came together to create a look that 'seemed at once ancient and modern'.

Soon afterwards, Ferguson developed a technique of painting chain mail with automotive paint, which enabled him to apply medieval, Chinese or Art Deco motifs to the metal.

He designed the costumes for the 1983 premiere of William Forsythe's production of Square Deal (Joffrey Ballet).

These mesh designs, which he made up into dresses, shawls, and other garments, proved popular and were featured on a number of magazine covers, including two covers for Cosmopolitan in 1984 and 1985, a 1984 cover for New York Magazine, and a Vogue supplement showing a mesh dress emblazoned with the Statue of Liberty.

Tina Turner also wore a Ferguson mesh dress for a Vanity Fair cover.

In 2012 Ferguson was designing for private clients.

Ferguson has also worked in film-making on a small scale.

His films include: