Why We Love Frida Kahlo
Our fabulous Frida Kahlo Storage Tins have been getting a lot of love lately – and with so many practical uses, bold colours, vintage styling and iconic Frida Kahlo imagery it’s no wonder!
In response we’ve expanded our Frida Kahlo Collection to incorporate more homeware like this cushion, placemats and trinket dishes, a range of beauty products including hairbrush, nail files and compact mirrors and even more practical products such as mugs, a reusable shopper, candles and more.
On our social media we’ve noticed that Frida Kahlo inspires some lively debate as her iconic image with its heavy brow and flower crowned hair seems to be everywhere at the moment - so much so that one of our followers posed the very interesting question – “As an anti-capitalist, what would Frida make of the commodification of her image?” She included a link to an article in the Guardian asking whether we are losing the artist under all this kitsch? It’s a really interesting read and a divisive question, we’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
Some feel that the reproduction of her self-portraits dilutes her persona and diminishes the meaning behind her works – many of which are inspired by her own tragic and traumatic personal experiences. But others feel inspired by the design concept and believe that the commodification of her image celebrates the artist and all she stood for - As one Frida fan puts it - “What’s not to be inspired by? A bi, disabled, moustachioed, monobrowed, cross-dressing woman of colour. A gloriously extraordinary fashion icon.... and an incredible, exquisite artist.”
It is purported by some in the article that Kahlo might have approved of the proliferation of her image. She was “not an accidental icon" one noted, "Frida ran with the big horses, … courted infamy internationally and was never what you would consider a folk obscurity, as fiercely loyal as she was to Mexican folklore and iconography. So while she was a hardened anti-capitalist I think she would’ve gracefully accepted the chronic reiteration of her image, like Warhol or Bowie did. There’s been a postmodern ripple effect.”
We feel very much as the Frida Kahlo Corporation (the brand who license her image) do – that the brand represents a strong female role model, that triumphs over adversity and transcends and overcomes barriers of culture, time and society with her unique and iconic personality and as such should be celebrated and proliferated.
Frida Kahlo’s legacy has inspired the world, and the licensing program seeks to expand her positive impact and inspiration of empowerment, self-confidence, passion and love with a brand that is; timeless, passionate, avant-garde, multifaceted, creative and iconic and we’ll be continuing to spread that inspiration, we are Frida fans!