In a world where success and expertise are often defined by mastering one genre, Oldham defies expectations. The multi-talented designer burst onto the New York fashion landscape in 1989 and, within a year, was called "more than a designer to watch; he's happening" (New York Times, 1990). Oldham soon won top honors as a new fashion talent, and was widely lauded as a rising star and runway darling. He blazed a spirited trail throughout the next decade—his fashion week shows are remembered as being as exciting as dance parties and rock concerts, while his designs were praised as inventive and playful, with extravagant embellishments and raucous color combinations.

"We were always throwing curve balls," Oldham recalls. "I felt I had something new to say in this medium that had juxtaposition and duality—not a normal approach to fashion, come to find out.”

In 1999, Oldham shuttered the doors of his fashion house and focused his eye for form, function, and fun in the direction of other creative endeavors. He has mastered nearly every other element of design in the nearly two decades since: furniture, graphic, interior, exhibition, and product—as well as film directing, photography, and book publishing.

The bedrock of each of these accomplishments, however, is the creative foundation that he laid in his fashion designs. From the start, Oldham meshed narrative and storytelling with a love for craft; his fixation on novelty has led to the revival of vanishing techniques and traditions, and his innovative bricolage approach earned him an honorary doctorate degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in May 2014.
While on campus for commencement ceremonies that spring, Oldham toured the RISD Museum and met with Curator of Costume and Textiles Kate Irvin and Associate Curator Laurie Brewer to discuss his recent rediscovery of his runway archives and a proposed gift of items from this collection … and from this conversation, All of Everything was born.

Upon seeing the archive garments up close for the first time, Irvin was struck by their intricacy and craftsmanship. Carefully considered details, such as embroidered motifs applied at a 400-year-old handicraft workshop in India, illustrate the designer's deep interest in all aspects of textile development and the preservation of artisan industries.
"The significance of these runway pieces is rooted in Todd Oldham’s deeply thoughtful approach to making. Each garment sparkles with creativity, providing a window into the ways traditional handmade artisanry contributes to the creation of show-stopping, joyous fashions," she says.

Irvin notes that while the garments debuted on the runway more than 20 years ago, they appear thoroughly contemporary. "These pieces weren't made in the 1990s in response to the trends of the day. Todd pursued personal sources of inspiration that often led to experimental methods of making. He continually pushed the boundaries of traditional manufacture, kicking the machine to meet the challenge of making new and exciting works of art. I am positive that these innovations will feel as fresh in 2016 as they did in the 1990s."

Exhibition Design
Oldham steps into the role of exhibition designer for All of Everything, bringing the atmosphere of a blooming floral landscape into the larger of the two exhibition galleries. Arranged in the style of a formal French garden, the installation highlights his pruning of ideas and techniques rather than following a strict chronology of his decade in fashion.
Mannequins dressed in more than 65 of his ensembles populate four long oversized platforms that each embrace a central "fountain" dais, upon which is one special dress.

Paths lead visitors through sections featuring Oldham's spectacularly embellished designs—abundant with sequins, beads, and embroidery—and into gatherings of his more minimal black-and-white designs, and groupings of his various experiments with printing and other techniques.

Oldham's intensive design process is further revealed through his original artwork and a new series of in-depth video interviews in which he discusses his creative processes, philosophies, and collaborations. Projections of 1990s runway footage activate the gallery space and illustrate the full creative endeavor of Oldham’s fashion shows—which were among the first to feature African-American and ingénue talents such as Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, and Tyra Banks, among many others.

RISD Collaboration: First New Dress
The designer's creative philosophies share a close affinity with RISD's principle tenet of critical making and Rhode Island's historical importance in the textile industry, making the RISD Museum the perfect place to celebrate Oldham's brand of creativity and ingenuity. The exhibition also expands upon Oldham's long association with the school as a
lecturer and special guest critic, in which he has generously advised and encouraged RISD students.
“I have been popping in and out of RISD since the late 1980s, and during a recent guest teaching gig with the brilliant Mary Anne Friel, I had the pleasure of working with the Textile Department,” Oldham explains. “The students’ vibrant work is endless and inspiring, so I was very excited when all 50 of them agreed to make a one-of-a-kind textile for me to make the first new intricate dress I have made in years.”
This collaborative creation with students in Friel’s two Fabric Silkscreen classes epitomizes Oldham's generous and creative spirit, and exemplifies the continued relevance of Oldham's renegade approach to design. “I tried not to put too many rules in place,” Oldham says of the project. “I want students to see their marks within the piece when it's shown at the Museum.”

He adds, “By the end of the classes, over 60 people had worked on creating 25 yards of truly beautiful, insanely detailed textiles that we are currently embroidering with custom made sequins and palettes in my New York studio. Everyone who worked on the dress will be named on the Museum placard to celebrate their contribution, but also to show the staggering amount of people involved in couture. By the time the embroidery is finished there will be over 100 people that worked on the single dress, which I am donating to the RISD Museum—home of its birthplace, after all!”

About Todd Oldham
Known for his unique sense of color, extravagant details, and lighthearted approach, Todd Oldham has influenced nearly every element of art and design in the three decades since he launched his first clothing line in 1989 and, just two years later, won the Council of Fashion Designer Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent (1991). He is the founder of Todd Oldham Studio, and known for everything from film director and MTV host to designer of furniture, interiors, exhibition, and products.

A noted author and editor of more than 22 books, Oldham has produced monographs on artists Charley Harper, Wayne White, Alexander Girard, Ed Emberly, Gerald Davis, and John Waters, among others. As a response to diminishing school art programs in schools, he published Kid Made Modern in 2009, and launched the All About how-to series for creative kids—which has expanded to include collections of high-quality art supplies for children and adults in partnership with Target.

Oldham's work with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) began in 1989. Since then, he has frequently served as a guest critic, hosted class visits to his New York City studio, hired students upon graduation (notably artist David
Wiseman, RISD 2003), and published a book of photography revealing the creative live-work spaces of RISD students (PlaceSpace series: Home Studio Home: Providence, RI, 2008; available at RISD WORKS, the RISD Museum store). In 2014, RISD awarded Oldham an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree, which recognizes exceptional individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to the world of art and design.

Exhibition Support
Support for All of Everything: Todd Oldham Fashion is provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional generous support is provided by The Coby Foundation, Carol Nulman, and American Modern Books.

About the RISD Museum
The RISD Museum—southeastern New England's only comprehensive art museum—was established in Providence in 1877, alongside the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The Museum's collection of nearly 100,000 objects includes paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, costume, furniture, and other works of art and design from all over the world, from ancient times to the latest in contemporary art. Information: 401 454 6500 or risdmuseum.org.
Follow the RISD Museum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Artsy (RISDMuseum).

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