tech
Soft armour, pert nipples: how London design team made Kim Kardashian’s Met Gala breastplate
Duo Whitaker Malem worked with pop art sculptor Allen Jones and a car bodyshop in Kent to create gala’s biggest jolt
TL;DR
- Kim Kardashian wore an orange fibreglass breastplate to the Met Gala, interpreting the "fashion is art" dress code.
- The breastplate was created by east London art duo Whitaker Malem, in collaboration with pop artist Allen Jones and car bodyshop MPS Body and Paint.
- The design was based on Allen Jones's 1969 Hatstand sculpture, with modifications made by Whitaker Malem.
- The fibreglass breastplate was sprayed by Martyn Smith at MPS Body and Paint in Lydd, Kent, using multiple layers of automotive paint.
- Whitaker Malem, founded in 1988, are known as "pop artisans" who work primarily with leather using wet-moulding techniques.
- The duo has a significant history in film costume design, creating outfits for films like Troy, Wonder Woman, and Bond films.
- Allen Jones's work has historically faced feminist criticism, but his collaboration with Kardashian reinterpreted his art.
- The breastplate weighed the same as a bag of flour and Kardashian wore it naked underneath.