Nick Holdsworth

Discover the creative journey of Nick Holdsworth, a visionary designer who made his mark in the fashion industry. In 1998, Nick established his own fashion label, 'Purple Om / Random,' which quickly became a cult T-shirt brand distributed worldwide in renowned department stores such as Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Liberty's, Collette in Paris, and Barney's in Tokyo. Nick's pioneering approach capitalized on the '90s fascination with psychedelic imagery and youth culture, solidifying himself as one of the early designer T-shirt label brands. He has also collaborated with esteemed brands like Levis Red-Japan, Eliminator-Japan, Block 60-Italy, Griffin Studio-UK, and Harvey Nichols, further showcasing his creative prowess.

Nick Holdsworth Biography

Nick's artistic process is a captivating blend of modern techniques and nostalgic inspiration. He combines digital manipulation, creative graphics, and hand-painting to craft powerful images. Each piece is centred around a specific graphic, often a famous brand logo associated with the subject, resulting in a unique fusion of past and future influences. This blend adds depth, wit, and a timeless quality to his contemporary pieces, reflecting Nick's journey through iconic experiences and creative innovation.

Nick begins by selecting online images to retouch, enhancing them by removing imperfections and adjusting details through Photoshop's layered approach. He isolates various elements into separate layers, allowing focused refinement. Nick sometimes incorporates additional details from other images, integrating them seamlessly through masking. Subsequently, he pixelates the image and overlays it with his chosen repeated icon, often a recognisable brand logo associated with the subject. He carefully refines each layer, ensuring the graphics remain visible and harmonious. Nick then adds colour to each layer, meticulously hand-painting with a tablet, matching the colours he'll use for the final airbrushed painting. The coloured piece is printed in mosaic form and further perfected by many hours of hand painting, utilising airbrushing, inks, stencils, pens, and brushes to achieve the desired tone and detail.