HBO’s hit show The White Lotus featured clothing designs by New York–based artist Scooter LaForge in two recent episodes. LaForge worked with the show’s costume designer, Alex Bovaird, to create original T-shirts that appeared in episodes four and five, which aired on March 9th and 16th, respectively. These designs were worn by characters Chelsea, played by Aimee Lou Wood, and Chloe, portrayed by Charlotte Le Bon.
The T-shirts featured in The White Lotus are characterized by LaForge’s distinctive graffiti-style artwork. One of the shirts, worn by Wood, features a green alien head with the phrase “Full Moon” prominently displayed across the chest. The second design, a neon green shirt worn by Le Bon, features a large blue wave that seems to crash across the middle. “Ko Pha Ngan” is written below the wave, referencing the famous island in Thailand. The current season of The White Lotus is set on the nearby island of Ko Samui.
Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1971, La Forge has been based in New York’s East Village for more than two decades. His practice spans painting and sculpture as well as fashion design.His designs have been donned by celebrities including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Waynes.
LaForge’s chaotic, gestural canvases bear the influence of Neo-Expressionism and Pop art, mashing up Disney characters with art historical references and provocative slogans His paintings have been exhibited at notable venues such as the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York and the Sammlung Friedrichshof in Vienna.
The artist is currently the subject of a mid-career retrospective at the Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The exhibition, titled “LaForge Sweetie!”, spans three decades of the artist’s career and will be on view until March 22nd.
