Zio Ziegler: Gallery/Store

Welcome to the Zio Ziegler website. This company, the creation of Zio Ziegler himself, is a product of painting, illustration, and clothing design based on life. Zio’s collections reflect the imagery and iconography seen in his larger-than-life paintings, and by taking these images and icons from his body of art, ZZ clothing gives the wearer the chance to own an original—every item is 1/1. The hats are hand painted while t-shirts, dresses, hoodies, cardigans, skirts, scarves and jackets are silk screened, dyed and altered by hand.

The natural changes in style that occur in painting are mirrored in the apparel’s design—ever-changing and evolving, the imagery of Zio’s clothing is contiguous with what he is putting on canvas at the time. This relationship between high art and design begins to dissolve the line between the two, making a more accessible form of art. Inspired by everything in the environment, the paintings and subsequently the prints siphon life into a concentrated image. Often spontaneous, the conception and then creation of each piece comes about quickly. Frequently finished in one day, an idea will move from inspiration to print in a matter of hours. The process, too, is urgent, with dozens of silkscreens, inks, and bleaches scattered across a studio and constant movement between all of them, often through the night and until the sun rises.

A manifestation of all that is in one’s mind, whether conscious or subconscious, Ego or Id, the work is collectively charged by the movements of the world around the artist. Additionally, this new vocabulary is constantly developing, including a range of ideas from Eastern philosophy to nature to an eclectic collection of literature. Because of this, neither Zio’s paintings nor his clothing are premeditated, but rather a process, mirroring elements from different facets of his life. In the end, it is the bursts of inspiration that propel both Zio Ziegler’s paintings and clothing forward. Frenetic and persistent, the product is an accurate description of the mental explosions necessary to give birth to such images.

FROM JUNE 1- AUGUST 30 CHECK OUT THE ZIO ZIEGLER STORE/GALLERY AT 87 EAST BLITHEDALE MILL VALLEY, CA.

Every product I create is hand made and 1/1. The hats are hand painted while t-shirts, dresses, hoodies, cardigans, skirts, scarves and jackets are silk screened, dyed and altered by hand. I put as much love and energy as possible into each piece I create, and by making one a kind pieces, the production side of things is kept as entertaining for me as the creation. An entire T-shirt can be conceived and created within one day, and the designs are often inspired by what is in my mind at the point of creation. I sketch up a design in class and sneak into the printmaking building at RISD that night to print as many shirts with the new design as possible. My method isas unconventional as it gets. As soon as the building is empty, the music is turned up as loud as possible, I lie all of the shirts out on any surface I can find and proceed to run around with different silk screens, inks and bleach pens making each piece unique. When the sun rises and class is in a few hours, I return the equipment to its original condition, I sneak out of the building and carry my box of new t-shirts to my studio. My printed items are truly “limited edition” due to the limitations guerilla production method, but it keeps the designs fresh, the process interesting and I promise you ill never see anyone else wearing your shirt.