Horst Couture

“This challenge, starting with something no longer than the finger on my hand and changing it, mastering it, to make a figure, a from that functions, which is one-of-a-kind. Then to see it transforming the body of its wearer into an art itself. That is the drive.” (Thomas Horst)

Thomas Horst (Horst Couture) was born in Akron, Ohio in 1971, and has always found art to be a big part of his life. Throughout high school his explorations with photography, painting and sculpture contributed to a visually-stunning portfolio, one that achieved great awards and granted him an art scholarship, furthering his education of the arts.

Horst has spent many years as a teacher of the arts and whilst gaining his MA at Kent Stare University in 2003, he discovered the art of felt making, a textile he found to have intriguing and countless possibilities. Horst has since pushed the boundaries of felting, “the result being garments that drape around the body, which breath and feel as light as air that flow with the natural movements of the body.”

Thomas Horst strives to master and understand the material of felt, controlling its characteristics to make his garments wearable, thin and shrink to fit its wearer. This complexity drives Horst forward in his practice continuously, for he wishes to challenge the everyday preconceptions of felt and what can be created using felt. Horst’s designs have graced catwalks and galleries, and have been published many times over. His achievements have given him world recognition and his place as a Professor at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design.

Visit the Horst Couture website.