Fantastical Fashion - Valentin Esparza

Val Esparza, Empire in Denial, Palm Leaves, Cotton, Canvas Dress,  60"x42"x2"

Valentin Esparza started creating his art “by accident,” as he says, at a friend’s sewing party. 

"I made a bag with this fabric I found at Living Arts and fell in love with, and continued making bags. Eventually it escalated into dresses," says Esparza. Since then he has fallen in love with sewing and textiles, creating alternative fashion pieces that seem like costumes from fantastical plays. 

 "Often I will grow completely obsessed with the score of a film or an artist and focus on designing with a certain character in my head that goes with the music. The fashion shows are developed like scenes in a play," he said. His avant-garde fashion is sometimes created with non-traditional elements, such as tree bark or bullets. 

Tulsa Art Studio Tour artist Valentin Esparza, in his studio 

Esparza also designs t-shirts, and creates original screen printed shirts. Refusing to design for the sheer sake of putting out products, he creates works inspired by his environment in Tulsa for his production line of T-Town Teez. His large studio is not only his production house for his fashion and art, but also a place of learning, where he leads workshops with youth on the process of screen-printing. 

Meet & see the working studio of Esparza along with 9 other artists on April 20-21, noon until 5 pm on the Tulsa Art Studio Tour. For more info, or to purchase tickets, visit www.TulsaArtStudioTour.org.