James Merry: the embroidery genius behind Björk's masks

To end up under our magnifying glass, dear readers of Wait, is this time James Merry. For those who do not know him and like me, he was discovering it now, know that you will be amazed to know who he collaborates with and to what extent his creative flair is. He would not need any introduction, however looking at his creations I immediately thought of a genius of the mask or better still the genius of embroidery. It is usually unthinkable to associate a male figure with this craft technique, yet James Merry has real fairy hands, like the old ladies of the past.

An Oxford graduate (in ancient Greek), he now lives in a small cottage on the side of a mountain not far from Reykjavik, from which he often travels to reach the chaos and metropolitan energy of New York. The choice to hole up in the Icelandic countryside came after meeting the famous singer Björk (of Icelandic origin), with whom the artist has been collaborating for over seven years, first as an assistant, then a friend and now her inseparable right arm. Drawing inspiration from everything that surrounds him, from the friction between the two different realities in which he moves and in particular from the nature in which he is immersed, his creations focus on meticulous attention to details.

The hats created for Björk are eccentric but sophisticated, many of which have been a crucial part of the singer-songwriter’s artistic vision since the debut of her album “Vulnicura” in 2015. But the most representative example of her craftsmanship is undoubtedly the white mask and black lace and pearls in the shape of a moth shown at the Governor Ball Music Festival. For the album “Utopia”, released in 2017, the artist studied Sci-Fi flowers, transforming them into a combination of spectacular peach pink and mint green silicone accessories, born from the common interest that the duo has for technology and nature .

The latter, in fact, plays a fundamental role in her work, it is she who moves her hands like a puppet and guides her imagination. In short, a constant presence not only in his artistic vision but also in his identity, as if he had a sort of visual synaesthesia where flowers and plants grow in him every time he pauses to observe or dream them, so much so as to push him to fertilize old sports sweatshirts. It is what is called a perfect urban-nature mix.

“I think I have something automatic, something flowing towards my arm. I feel like I absorb the nature that surrounds me, and my personal interpretation simply springs from my hands ”.

But his collaborations aren’t limited to singer Björk. On the occasion of the Venice Film Festival 2020, style icon Tilda Swinton exhibited a personalized mask signed by the designer, demonstrating how one can be original and not boring while respecting current legislation. Inspired by algae, orchids and the architecture of the Venetian city, the one that should act as a mask is clear that it does not provide any protection against the virus.

But by now we know that fashion does not follow a logical sense, it does not respect any rules, and above all it does not set limits to creativity and, James Merry knows this well since he has made his amazing and uncontrollable imagination the key to his success.

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Irene Larussa

Irene è diplomata in fashion styling presso l'Istituto Marangoni. Di origini calabresi, vive attualmente a Milano. E' alla costante ricerca di stimoli nuovi da cui trarre ispirazione per alimentare le sue più grandi passioni: styling, grafica e scrittura. Il suo sogno è infatti lavorare nella redazione di un fashion magazine.