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Marietta pop-up shop makes clothes work of art

Photo by Breckin Wells Courtney Knoch of Marietta browses the Rossi Collection of clothing by FIGI, a luxury line of denim, at the John Rossi Art Gallery on Front Street in Marietta.

MARIETTA — Typically art is displayed on the walls of a gallery, but the John Rossi Art Gallery on Front Street is breaking fashion barriers by selling designer jeans that allow people to wear the artwork of local artist John Rossi.

Frank Christy, co-owner of the art gallery, met with the designer of FIGI jeans, Diane Carleton in 2013 to make the gallery’s dream a reality.

“The inspiration for the whole thing came about five to seven years ago when John had taken a pair of jeans and mounted them on a board,” said Christy. “He colored them and made them stiff. When I saw them I thought ‘oh my God, what if we actually did that?'”

Rossi’s artwork is typically made up of scraps of paper, cloth and parts of clothing focusing on the object’s evolution through time.

According to Christy, Rossi adds dimensions with his paintings, printings and pressings, which inspired this reimagined piece of something new from past creations.

The American-made, limited edition, fashion denim line is displayed in the gallery as a pop-up store, which is a temporary shop that features new and trend-setting items in fashion.

Trisha Miller, gallery marketing and media specialist, said the gallery opened the pop-up within three days, installing shelves along with a brand new dressing room.

“We had the opportunity to bring this in and decided why not make it a pop-up as far as the display goes so the community can see how wearable art really is,” said Miller.

Katherine Barlow, employee of the gallery, said all the work put into the pop-up was definitely worth it.

“It was a chore, but it was worth it,” she said. “It turned out really nice and we’re pleased with it.”

This is the gallery’s first pop-up and they hope to see this fashion-trend phenomenon take off in the local area.

“The whole pop-up trend is a new phenomenon,” said Miller. “You know we’re not gonna have Kanye West outside selling T-shirts or anything, but denim is a staple in the fashion industry and here we have a fashion staple piece in an expressive and explosive comfortable way.”

The luxury line provides three different styles of jeans ranging from a classic black style to a beautiful composition of colors inspired from Rossi’s very own art pieces.

“All of the jeans are so soft and wearable,” said Christy.

The jeans range in price from $99-$119.

“The price point for these types of jeans in New York City would be $200 or more,” said Miller. “For us to be able to have them in our small town at a reasonable price for wearable art, it’s a great thing.”

The custom line also includes T-shirts and jean jackets. The T-shirts range from $30-$34 and the jean jackets are $148.

Christy said he would never forget the first time he saw the finished products of the collection.

“When I saw the first shipment that came in I was overwhelmed with how great they looked,” he said. “We worked really hard and it’s a competitive market that’s hard to break into, but we think putting contemporary artwork on denim is something nobody has really done before or has done successfully.”

Miller said the pop-up is all about the experience, hopefully an experience the community will take advantage of.

According to Christy, the gallery plans to keep the pop-up open until the holidays.

“The jeans can serve as a great Christmas present or any gift for that matter,” he said.

Barlow said she has seen several customers come in showing a strong interest in the jeans.

“I’ve seen people come in and try them on and absolutely fall in love with them,” she said. “They are reasonable and a good make of jeans.”

The gallery not only holds artwork of Rossi’s but other local artist’s creations as well.

“We love local art and we want to take advantage of the talent in the local area,” said Miller. “We are blessed to have talent in the Mid-Ohio Valley.”

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