"Liza fell in love with the print so much that she wanted to order yardage."
Imagine waking up one morning only to discover one of the most famous children in the world has worn one of your items to arguably one of the biggest events in the American diary – the US Super Bowl. That’s exactly what happened to Ben Copperwheat whose bomber jacket was worn by Blue Ivy Carter to watch her mum, Beyoncé, perform at the half time show. Immediately Ben’s name was all over the fashion press. We catch up with him to find out how it came about.
So Ben, first things first, how did the Blue Ivy bomber come about?
I was approached by a good friend who is wardrobe assistant to Beyoncé. He thought my colourful, fun and viibrant prints would work perfectly as custom pieces for Blue Ivy. The goal was to create a collection for the Super Bowl. I produced two bomber jackets, two pairs of boots, a dress and a leather jacket for Blue and two matching bombers for Beyoncé. I produce pieces made to order, so yes they are for sale.
Liza’s worn one of your garments too, right? How was that?!
I had designed the ‘Manhattan Bridge’ print for Stephen Burrows in 2007. The print and dress was a stunning combination, Liza fell in love with it and wore it in a shoot for New York Magazine. She loved the print so much that she wanted to order yardage. Stephen Burrows did not want to reproduce the print so it sadly went no further. I’m happy that at least Liza was photographed in the print looking so stunning.
What was your favourite item of clothing as a child?
Oh, a jumper with Kermit The Frog printed on the front. I treasured it!
Which image continues to inspire you?
The portrait of Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953 photographed by Cecil Beaton. This image in particular conjures up the mysticism and romance of the British Monarchy, I have used it in a very punk way within my work. I recently printed it on a top I made for Boy George, only to be emailed by NBC asking if I had permission to use it. Of course I didn’t, so they shipped the pieces back to me overnight from Los Angeles and I removed the image of the Queen. Anyway it all worked out eventually, but it made me think twice about appropriating an image of HM!
From Bright Light Bright Light to Boy George to Blue Ivy, your clothes are all very different but suitable for each artist. Were these all unique creations that you made especially with them in mind?
There were all uniquely created for each artist. The clients have input and ideas based on my work and catalogue of prints. For the Boy George print, they wanted to have specific ‘Culture Club’ symbols i.e. the aeroplane, Star of David, the cross, Buddhist text, I added in the hearts, lightning bolts and roses. Stylist David Thomas (whom I collaborated with) liked this idea, and it evolved from there.
Rod Thomas (Bright Light x2), loved the idea of rainbow lightning bolts, which is a signature print of mine, this print expresses the energy of Bright Light Bright Light so this worked out perfectly!
What type of garment is your favourite to design?
I actually specifically design prints for garments and interiors. A suit and a dress is my favourite to design a print for. The tight tailoring slicing up the print is exciting, and the space that a dress creates to see the full effect of a print is amazing!
How do you describe your style?
My style is always head to toe print (mostly my own work) with a punk and psychedelic edge.
I saw you worked in collaboration with Giorgio Armani. What was that like? Do you collaborate a lot?
I actually bought eight Giorgio Armani collection blazers from a sample sale and customized them with my prints. They are currently for sale at Flasher Melrose in Los Angeles. This was a fun project, completely transforming a high end tailored piece. Quite a punk approach to design. I do collaborate, I’m currently working on a project with shoe designer, Yosi Samra.
Who would you most like to dress?
I would love to dress Madonna, Helen Mirren, Kanye West and Frank Ocean.
What’s your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe (that was not designed by you)?
A Vivienne Westwood blazer.
Personally I am not a fan of black and white. You don’t seem to use it much either. Is there room for it in your work?
I use it now and then, but rarely on its own, there is usually a splash of colour somewhere
What’s happening in 2016?
I am working on selecting a gallery to represent my work and produce a solo show. Developing further relationships with artists producing custom items. I also want to develop my line of interiors (wallpaper and furnishing fabrics).
Loverboy is obviously(!) named after the Mariah Carey song and we normally ask people their favourite Mariah song. But we’d like to know what you would dress her in?
Well, my favourite song is ‘Fantasy’. I love the intro and the merge into the Tom Tom Club beat is genius! I would love to dress Mariah in a sumptuous white dress with multi layered gold, pink and purple hearts print.
