The Art Whisperers by Ty-Ron Mayes (Antonio Lopez, Mauricio Mao Padilha and Roger Padilha)

                                                  Written and Interviewed by Ty-Ron Mayes

                       The Art Whisperers

It was once said that art is long and life is short. Maybe that is why sibling authors Roger Padilha and Mauricio Padilha found success in documenting artists from the past. You may not recognize their names, but they are the masterminds behind the declassification of past artists such as Stephen Sprouse. Voyeuristic tomes seem to be the Padilha style and we can’t get enough. Thanks to the Padilha Brothers, artist’s lives such as Antonio Lopez are no longer a secret. Their books remove the mystery from these once enigmatic entities and remind us of their unforgettable works as we peer into the complex lifestyles that are often as dark and colorful as their works. The Stephen Sprouse Book was a huge hit and now the duo have decided to let us mere mortals peek into the world of another fashion great… Antonio Lopez. He was one of the greatest fashion illustrators of our time. Antonio Lopez Fashion, Art, Sex & Disco is part portfolio, part love letter and part biography. Often it reads like a re-enactment of Antonio Lopez’ life as his friends and loved ones reminisce about their unconventional, decadent lives they led, with the late Lopez as their ringleader. His illustrations were visually striking pieces of artwork that influenced designers from Karl Lagerfeld to Oscar de la Renta. Lopez ushered in the ‘new look’, which shocked the world as he often chose unconventional muses who were often ethnic, possessed character and eventually became iconic. From Grace Jones to Jerry Hall and Tina Chow to Pat Cleveland… fashion went avant guard and had a new cast of characters who were daring and wickedly beautiful.  Lopez’ name will be forever synonymous with beauty, fashion and style.

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Your previous book Stephen Sprouse was a huge success. It was a full access look into the life and work of Sprouse. When you wrote it, did you have an idea that it would be as successful as it is?

 

Roger Padilha: At first we didn’t. It was just a passion of ours to put this book out there. Stephen was a very cult designer, so at best we thought that the book would have a small cult following. But then Louis Vuitton got involved….

 

Mauricio Padilha: Louis Vuitton really put a much bigger spotlight on our book and Stephen Sprouse. It was a perfect collaboration for them to rerelease the Sprouse collection at the same time that our book was being released. Also, they commissioned a special edition of the book with an LV cover and from reports all the copies of that book sold out the day it was released!

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: For those who are not aware, you are brothers… who decided on making Antonio Lopez your next subject?

 

Roger Padilha: We both have the same references and heroes and it’s always a mutual decision. We both loved Antonio’s work as kids.

 

Mauricio Padilha: Also, while we both love Antonio, we each love something different. Roger was always a fan of his artwork while I really loved his lifestyle and entourage. This is definitely reflected in the book and is really the first to document the work as well as Antonio’s accompanying lifestyle.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Antonio Lopez was one of the most important fashion illustrators of the 20^th Century. What drew you to Antonio Lopez’ work?

 

Roger Padilha: Antonio s work was just so exciting, much more so than photography was. Pre-Photoshop, photographic editorial was quite limited so Antonio’s surrealistic illustration really just brought fashion into a whole other fantasy realm.

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: As MAO PR together you have ushered in many talents in the fashion industry. Do you actively search for fresh talent?

 

Mauricio Padilha: Yes. After 15 years in business, we still love working with the up and coming designers who really want to change the rules and redefine fashion. We are always looking and searching for the next big thing.

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: How important is it for the industry to have these unique artists?

 

Roger Padilha: Completely. Especially these days where fashion is such big business. If we are not careful, the “art” part of fashion will be seriously compromised as it gets harder and harder for new people to compete with these mega-brands. 

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Antonio Lopez had an eye for unique models as his subject and discovered many of our icons that are celebrated today such as Grace Jones and Jerry Hall. It seems as though the Padilha Brothers may also share a love for unique beauties. Who are some of the muses that you are drawn to?

 

Roger Padilha: Well, it’s always great to be friends with someone who “talks the talk and walks the walk”. WE love our more extreme friends who really take fashion editorials to heart and wear designer clothing on a day-to-day basis. Allanah Starr, Amanda Lepore, Gazelle, Darian Darling… all great friends of ours who really like to push the limits with their own personal wardrobes. 

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Roger, you recently shared with me a story about Supermodel Selita Ebanks (best known for her Victoria’s Secret contract). Was Selita one of the MAO muses?

 

Roger Padilha: We love Selita. We were one of the first to book her for an ELLE editorial with a designer we worked with, Gary Graham. Selita was very, very thin when she first started (as I’m sure she was only 16 or so) but her face was so flawless, we would make our designers alter the samples to fit her! Of course, those samples could later not be shot on anyone but her since they were so altered but it was worth it! 

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Mauricio, I know you and your brother own a huge collection of Stephen Sprouse archives. Can you share with us a little bit of your fashion background?

 

Mauricio Padilha: Roger and I both graduated from Parsons School of Design majoring in fashion. We both worked at Perry Ellis when Marc Jacobs was the designer and after school ended, Roger started his own label and I worked with him doing his PR.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Roger, I understand you were a designer and had collections of your own at one point. Can you tell us about some of your fashion history?

 

Roger Padilha: Yes, I had a company called SPOOKY and we were very popular during the mid 90s. We got an extraordinary amount of press and incredible support from celebrities and stylists. However, as still happens with young designers, it was a constant uphill battle to produce our orders without major backing.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Roger, do you hope to one day design your own line of clothing again?

 

Roger Padilha: NEVER!! Ha ha. Honestly, one day I took stock of the parts of being a designer I loved and the parts I hated. I hated sourcing fabrics and dealing with factories and buyers. I loved working with magazine editors and putting on shows and photo shoots. So MAO really is the same job I had but only the parts of it that I loved.

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: How has fashion changed or influenced your lives?

 

Mauricio Padilha: Fashion is everything to us. It’s our livelihood; it’s what we do for fun. It’s everything. We live, breathe, and work fashion.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Back to making books… between the two of you, how do you divide the task of writing such extensive books?

 

Roger Padilha: I write the books and Mauricio is in charge of gathering the visuals. Of course we both work hand in hand in every part of it so it doesn’t really feel like the work is divided. 

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Gathering information for a book of this nature can be challenging. What was the process for procuring Lopez’s works?

 

Mauricio Padilha: We interviewed all of the Antonio’s friends and work colleagues to get the real story. Antonio was very meticulous about archiving his work so the archives were very complete and it wasn’t necessary to really search far to get the pieces we wanted for our book.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Do you own any of the late artist’s original work?

 

Roger Padilha: Yes. Paul Caranicas, who is in charge of the estate, gave us each 2 drawings after the book was released. It’s so cool to have them!

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: The Padilha Brothers live in a fabulous world surrounded by glamorous icons, super talented designers and the most beautiful women in the world… what does LIBERTY mean to you? And in which way do you celebrate your LIBERTY?

 

Roger Padilha: Liberty means living the life you want and we certainly can say that we are living the way we always wanted to without compromise. We are very lucky and hope that by living our lives the way we do, it will inspire others to live their dreams as well.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: Your books are huge contributions to the fashion industry… how important is it to have references in fashion as a stylist, designer, artist or model?

 

Mauricio Padilha: Tremendous. As with anything in life, when you understand history, you are better equipped to understand the future.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: I really want people to know how important this book is. It contains a forward from Andre’ Leon Talley and several celebrities have recounted their days with Antonio Lopez. What can we expect from this book?

 

Roger Padilha: This book in a way is not only about Antonio Lopez but also a dissection of fashion during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Although the main subject is Antonio, his story really gives you a sense of what fashion was about during that time. Also, as Antonio was one of the first to embrace using models of color, to bring street culture into high fashion, and to get fashion into the walls of art galleries, the book is a chronicle of how the fashion industry go to the point it is at today.

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: I know you have just finished your book tour, which has taken you to some of the biggest fashion capitals in the world. Would you ever go to China for a book signing?

 

Mauricio Padilha: Yes! Sign us up!

 

 

Ty-Ron Mayes: What can we expect from the Mauricio Padilha and Roger Padilha in the near future? Are you already working on another book?

 

Roger Padilha: Yes, and when we are able to tell you what it’s on, West East Magazine will be the first to know!

 

END