And yet, you can't open a fashion magazine without seeing Jean's ink drawings in advertisements and editorials. The first shipment of the $2,290 fairy bags sold out in days. More than anything before it, this collection has blurred the lines between art and fashion. Some might argue it's confused them.
"They are two separate fields," Prada maintains. "But creativity is in demand because people are bored of everything. They want excitement."
As for Jean, he has been in the background, unlike other, higher-profile artists who have collaborated with luxury brands. A cover artist for DC Comics and a "rock star" in the illustration world, according to some fan sites, Jean has done commercial work for Target, Playboy and Atlantic Records.
"It would have been great if they had put my name out there more prominently," said Jean, who now wants to focus more on painting. "But I'm not of the same stature of Takashi Murakami or Richard Prince." (Both have collaborated with Louis Vuitton.) "I'm 28, and I've mostly done illustrations. They caught me while I was a small fish."
And that small fish morphed into a $2,290 handbag.
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booth.moore@latimes.com
