Richard Kern for Mishka Summer 2008 T-Shirt Collection Lookbook

I was first introduced to Richard Kern’s work when I was 16 or 17. After finding out that the cover to Sonic Youth’s EVOL was a still from Kern’s Submit To Me, A friend had a video containing it, You Killed Me First and a few of his other short films from Kim’s Video. We spent the afternoon in my living room watching what at the time were the weirdest, most fucked up and transfixing piece of cinema we had ever seen in our young lives. It was the my first introduction to any sort of avante-garde film and was a defining moment in my creative direction. Kern became a favorite of mine after that point and I and my friends would regularly rent his films over and over again. We would dub them and have them play on endless loops at parties. Unfortunately after a while there were no more new Kern films for us to see, he had moved on to photography and I became an avid fan of his unique and erotic photographs. While some may look at his photos and see the obvious, naked girls any in depth study will discover he’s not just a master with camera but a genius at perversion, Kern is and remains one of a kind and it was a real honor for me to get to do this small T-shirt capsule collection. You don’t often get to work with people you idolized when you were younger but Mishka has afforded me the opportunity a few times now and words can’t really express how happy I am for these opportunities in life.

Anyway, now that I got my personal association with doing this collection out of the way take a look at the Kern Lookbook here and on to the press release below! Please be warned the lookbook is most definitely not safe for work!

I also wanted to thank the super awesome and talanted Ellen Stagg who did the lookbook shoot as well as the lovely Justine Joli, Ariel & Nicole who modeled in it.

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Today we are unveiling a special capsule with internationally recognized photographer and culturally provocative filmmaker & video director Richard Kern. Composed of 4 striking portraits, the collection will offer buyers an intimate glimpse into some of Kern’s most infamous and adored female subjects.

Born in 1954, Richard Kern is a widely acclaimed portrait artist who first came to prominence as a part of the underground cultural explosion in NYC’s East Village during the 1980s. Through his erotic films, featuring underground rock icons such as Lydia Lunch, Kembra Pfahler and Henry Rollins, Kern explored a deep interest in the aesthetics of extreme sex, violence and perversion. Often referred to as one of the fathers of Cinema of Transgression, Kern’s genius behind the lens led to further work with artists like Sonic Youth, King Missile and Marilyn Manson.

In the 1990s, Kern’s focus turned almost exclusively to still photography revolving around glamour, bondage and fetish models. He has since published 9 books of his unique photography including New York City Girls and is a regular contributor to a variety of international publications. Most recently, he also stars in Shot by Kern, a VBS. TV series for VICE Magazine that accompanies him on shoots at his Manhattan Studio.

Printed on 4 colors, the Kern for Mishka capsule illuminates the story of some of his most intriguing models including Lung Leg, a prominent scenster of the 1980s akin to Edie Sedgwick, that Kern can be accredited with discovering. To properly capture the collection, Mishka invited renowned erotic photographer Ellen Stagg – also a former Kern model – to shoot the special Look Book. Very much a disciple of Richard Kern, Ellen’s portfolio includes clients like VHI Publicity, I-D, Life, Mass Appeal, The Fader, MTV, Vogue, Interview and VICE Magazine to name a few.

To this day, Kern remains a quintessential element of what makes NYC’s art, film and music scenes so influential, inspiring and truly timeless. The collection featuring his work will be available at the Mishka Pop-Up Shop in Williamsburg and other select stockists starting mid May. For a full list of retailers and upcoming details about the Summer ’08 Collection, please visit our website.

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I’ve also updated the DoomBox with a compilation I call New York Shitty, Scum & Sludge! It’s my own little soundtrack inspired by the films of Richard Kern, NYC and a sticky uncomfortable Summer!