We are no strangers to Gabriel Dishaw, the Upcycling Sculptor who turns Louis Vuitton canvas into ultra-luxe, pop culture icons like Darh Vader. In the age of the coronavirus, our favourite artist has been busy making the world’s most badass facial masks. While Luxuo cannot attest to the biological efficacy of these handcrafted, upcycled Louis Vuitton and Gucci masks, the objective fact is that these are some of the most luxurious and aesthetically bad-ass masks on the planet.
Gabriel Dishaw first discovered his passion for handcrafted sculptures using recycled materials as early as 9th Grade when his teacher posted “Junk Art” out of 30 art project ideas on the chalk board for the class to choose from. Beginning his pre-career with an abstract sculpture titled “Mary on a Donkey” created it for the local DOW Chemical Holiday Art Show in high school, Dishaw’s work took the top honors in the 3D art category.
Honed over the years through a progressive process of getting familiar with the craft and then establishing Dishaw’s own signature edge, each series represents a personal interest or passion of Dishaw’s. The Upcycling Sculptor told PBS, “I have a sneaker collection in excess of 380 pairs. That bleeds over to my artwork which consists of the shoes I like the most. My love of sci-fi and all things “Star Wars” has significantly influenced my creature and figurative sculptures. I’m constantly looking for new ways to use old materials, showcasing them in a new light that is of interest to me. In that respect one sculpture can easily balloon into a series.”
Luxuo’s Favourite picks of Dishaw’s Luxe Face Masks
Scorpion LV MK9
Scorpion is regarded as one of the most popular and iconic characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise. The is undead ninja spectre seeking revenge for his death is a popular character for cosplayers. This upcycled Scorpion Mortal Kombat mask was inspired by the hellspawn ninja and uses vintage Louis Vuitton canvas stitched over a face plate and then layered to replicate the signature facial shield for one of culture’s most distinctive assassins.
LVader Damier #2
Vader masks sell out as quickly as Dishaw makes them. This batch was completed in 17th July and they were sold out the same week, keep an eye out for new interpretations as the artist draws a lot of inspiration from pop culture’s most iconic villain. This upcycled Darth Vader inspired mask was inspired by Louis Vuitton and created using vintage materials from Louis Vuitton totes and purses including other upcycled materials.
DVader Gucci
If you step away from the usually dark toned or the characteristically inverse variants of Darth Vader, you can start to embrace the gregarious flavour of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci aesthetic. Replicated in tone and spirit of Gucci’s SS20 colour scheme, DVader Gucci is the splash of joie de vivre uncharacteristic of the Dark Lord of the Sith, which in turn, makes it such a counter-cultural statement piece.