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Knoll Designer Bios

Stephen Sprouse

b. Ohio, USA
1953-2004

Stephen Sprouse was an American fFashion designer, known for his graffiti and punk rock influences. He gained notoriety in the 1980s with his debut clothing lines, which featured fluorescent colors and graphic text superimposed on 1960s silhouettes. For the next twenty-five years, he made a career out of mixing so-called high and low culture. He is perhaps best remembered for a graffitied handbag, designed for Luis Vuitton.

In 2003, KnollTextiles Creative Director Suzanne Tick invited Sprouse to create a new collection. The resulting designs, in true Sprouse style, featured camouflage, neon colors, a graffiti version of the Declaration of Independence, and an update of the famous Cato fabric using fluorescent yarn — a design he called Techno Tweed. As part of the collaboration, Sprouse also hand-lettered a limited number of KnollStudio pieces with his signature felt-tip marker.