The Architectural Minimalism of Ronaldus Shamask

Fashion and cultural historian Laura McLaws Helms speaks with fashion designer Ronaldus Shamask. Known for his architectural designs, Ron grew up in the Netherlands before emigrating to Australia at the age of 12. After working as a window dresser in Melbourne, he moved to London in the late 1960s, where he found work as a fashion illustrator. After a few years designing for the theatre in Buffalo, Shamask moved to NYC in the late 1970s. There his debut fashion collection for autumn/winter 1979 made a splash with its simple and austere clothes, shorn of all decorative elements yet striking in the precision of cut. Shamask’s designs for women and men brought him acclaim throughout the 1980s, and while in the 1990s he often took a step back from fashion week, whenever Shamask the brand has publicly reemerged, at NYFW in 2011 or a retrospective exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2012, there has been much fanfare, with everyone in the fashion industry gleeful at the return of a true master of artful minimalism. His designs are both highly collectible and very wearable, seeming to exist outside of trends or a particular fashion moment. To sign up for my newsletter, visit https://laurakitty.substack.com/ For full show notes, episode resources, video clips, and a slideshow of photographs, head to https://sighswhispers.com/episode-51- shamask Produced and hosted by Laura McLaws Helms Featured Guest Ronaldus Shamask