Trish Martin can take a one dollar shirt from Goodwill, and turn into a $70 work of wearable art. The local designer calls what she does "deconstruction," which basically means she takes old clothes and alters them to the extreme.
"The T-shirt is basically my canvas," says Martin, who has designed clothes for notables like DJ Keoki and porn star Tera Patrick, and was a finalist for Designer of the Year at Scottsdale Fashion Week back in November.
Many of Martin's designs can be found at her Punkouture studio space, which opened in downtown Phoenix in mid-October.
The front windows of Punkouture feature busty mannequins dressed in Martin's punk dresses, which she has professionally manufactured. The one-size-fits-all dresses come in several colors, ranging from green plaid to cherry print fabric, and feature ruffled tu-tus beneath their skirts. There's also a table full of spiky, crazy jewelry, and several shelves of custom shoes and platform boots.
Several other types of clothing hang on racks throughout the store, including military jackets, denim vests, and baby clothes, all decked out with various spray paint designs, zippers, studs, and spikes. "I love spray paint to death...bleach, too," Martin says.
Martin's a Scottsdale native, but lived in the Los Angeles area for several years. She says she's been designing for 13 years, and first became interested in it after cutting up and altering her own wardrobe in high school.
Some of Martin's current clientele are local bands. She says she designs wardrobes for them based on their music and own styles.
Martin says her Punkouture clothing line is available in nine stores, including Conspire in downtown Phoenix. She opened the Punkouture storefront more as a studio space, but has plenty of merchandise for sale inside. She says her current designs are for anyone who wants to look different from everybody else. "You don't have to be punk rock," she says. "You just have to have your own style."
Punkouture is located at 718 N. 4th Street. Call 602-617-7865 or visit www.punkouture.com for more information.
