In 1998, Nick Holdsworth set up his very own fashion label, ‘Purple Om / Random’ a cult T-shirt brand that was sold in high end department stores such as Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Liberty’s, Collette in Paris and Barney’s in Tokyo.
He has also collaborated with names like Levis Red-Japan, Eliminator-Japan, Block 60-Italy, Griffin Studio-UK, and Harvey Nichols.
Nick considers himself to be one of the first designer T-shirt label brands building upon the ’90s obsession with psychedelic images and youth culture.
When his unique techniques and style gained interest from the art industry he began to explore ways to express his love of fashion and culture through fine art.His background in design combined with his digital skills and years of experimentation led to him producing the breath-taking mixed–media artworks he is known for now.He starts by choosing an image to work with and then manipulates it using a pixilation process- this is a technique that requires meticulous control over the precise placement of each individual pixel (of which there are hundreds in each image). Nick then overlays the pixilation with the repetition of a symbol or icon that he associates with the chosen image, adjusts the scale of these icons to enhance the definition of the overall subject and finishes off by airbrushing and inking to add colour and tone, thereby introducing a hand finished and original element to each piece. This rather modern process contrasts the nostalgia of his images.
Nick is inspired by musical legends of his youth and time he spent flicking through his mother’s fashion magazines as a child. This unexpected combination evokes emotional depth, occasional wit, and a surprisingly vintage style for something so contemporary.
Freddie Mercury’s sister and Brian May both hold Nick’s portraits of Freddie in their private collections.
