In October 2021, Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self presented her first piece performance art piece during Perfoma’s Biennale in New York. Titled “Sounding Board,” the three-act performance was an opportunity for Self to preview her collaboration with Ugg comprised of boots, slippers, outerwear and accessories.
In an exchange with Vogue about the effort, Self explained, “It was kind of a natural fit, Ugg is a brand that deals a lot with materiality and texture, and I deal with that stuff in my painting as well. With this project, I feel like I’m using a lot of the same aesthetic tropes and types of patterning and design and geometry that I would generally use in my practice, but the figure is not present. I was able to indulge purely in what feels and looks good, as opposed to linking those things directly to a much larger social and political narrative.”
The first installment of Ugg and Self’s capsule will launch on March 1, 2022 at Ugg’s online and physical stores, followed by a second release on March 15th.