Condom wrappers, wine coolers, a vibrator, and cigarette butts. “The props show a deviating naughty side,” Koch explains. “I want the installation to be hands-on, with people looking in the closet and under the bed.”
These wool-tufted clouds are part of Koch's line of made-to-order area rugs for ABC Carpet & Home, under the name violetta 0273. They're cut from discarded carpeting from ABC's remnants section.
The air is scented with Colors by Benetton perfume mixed with Teen Spirit deodorant and cigarette smoke. “I wanted something sweet and sugary to fit the girl's persona,” Koch says.
Koch found these paintings at Vintage Thrift Store near Gramercy Park. “Some have an upper-class eighties feel, like the parents did the decorating, and some of them look like a child's work,” she says.
Koch designed this silk fabric exclusively for Ruffian. The print features an ad for boarding schools from a 1939 issue of Vogue, overlaid with doodles of hearts, rainbows, and suns.
Koch bought this from Green Village in Bushwick and covered it in pink and cream silken wool. “It contrasts with Earnest Sewn's outdoorsy, masculine vibe, so people feel like they're stepping into another world.”
Contains items from Ruffian's fall/winter collection “re(form),” collaborative pieces with Earnest Sewn, and limited-edition designs created especially for the installation, incorporating Koch's fabrics. Yes, you can buy these.
The framed photographs are of Koch’s family.
Playing Ruffian’s prêt-à-porter 2008 fall/winter show
Many of the props are secondhand. “A lot of objects in the room are thrift-store finds; it’s a fluid process,” she says. “I bought an ashtray and vintage board games at The Thing in Greenpoint.”