Claw Money

Claudia "Claw Money" Gold
Occupation Artist & Fashion Designer
Years active 1980's - present
Website
clawmoney.com

Claw Money (born Claudia Gold,[1] in 1968, New York) is a New York-based graffiti writer turned fashion designer and has been internationally recognized and acclaimed within the street art movement.

Early life

Gold was born into a Jewish family in Fresh Meadows, Queens, and Roslyn, New York, and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology until 1986. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, her icon, a paw with three claws, could be seen all over the New York graffiti landscape as she bombed walls and trains with the graffiti crews TC5 and FC. Claw became her nickname due to her spunky and steadfast personality during childhood.

Graffiti

She has been influenced by numerous other graffiti artists such as Zephyr, Dondi, Revolt, Sharp, Dontay, Devo and MQ. Zephyr having a significant influence because the introduced her to some of New York's most illusive outlaw artists. She is the focus of the first in a series of women in art documentaries produced and featured by Google.

Career

After making her mark throughout NYC with her graffiti, she made another creative move, becoming the fashion editor and director at Swindle Magazine. She began styling which led her to then become a vintage dealer. Having long since abandoned her former ways, Claw now stands as a curator of cool, fashion editor, commissioned artist and fashion designer whose products transcend her company’s offerings under her Claw Money and Claw & Company labels.

In 2009 Tag au Grand Palais in Paris, France named Claw one of the most influential graffiti artists of all time. And while she has abandoned her vandal ways she continues to reign supreme as "the first woman of graffiti:.

Claw Money Collaborations

Finding an outlet in fashion and design, Claw's iconic Claw, brands CLAWMONEY and Claw&Co., have become a magnet for an array of internationally renowned brands seeking to associate with her. Those arrangements have not only changed the game for women artists, but have impacted all artistic collaborations. She has changed the landscape and set precedents by being the first woman to do collaborations with companies such as Calvin Klein, Mark Ecko, Gpen, Lord & Taylor, rag & bone, NASCAR, Good Wood, Ugg Australia, converse, Vans, Mountain Dew, K2 Snowboarding, My Little Pony, Boost Mobile, and Nike, with whom she designed two styles of Claw Money custom sneakers.

Her graphic designs are influenced by influences that mostly come from her childhood: Peter Max, the Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, Bugs Bunny, comic books, Hello Kitty, video games, and pop culture in general. While designing she likes to listen to mostly to oldies, lots of ’50s girl groups, Bill Withers, hip hop pre-’95, disco, and punk rock. In 2007, Bombshell, The Life and Crimes of Claw Money was published by powerHouse Books.

Claw & Co.

As of June 2014, Claw will be launching the debut line of Claw & Co.[2] The collection remixes athletic and bold inspired staples with updated silhouettes and unique textiles, focusing on patterns.

Press

In 2009 Tag au Grand Palais in Paris, France named Claudia Gold a/k/a Claw one of the most influential graffiti artists of all time.[3] In 2012, she was the subject of the short documentary Claw by the digital channel WIGS. Doug Pray's seminal graffiti documentary, "Infamy" from 2005 in part, is an homage to Claw. Her first book, Bombshell:The Life and Crimes of Claw Money was published in 2007 and is much sought after by curators of popular culture. Google is also putting the finishing touches on a short film about her that is going to launch its upcoming series on artists. Extensive press coverage can be found on the official Claw Money website.[4]

Celebrity following

Today she runs the eponymous clothing line Claw Money, which has a celebrity following that includes M.I.A. (artist), Kanye West, Kreayshawn, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Santigold.[5] Her apparel can be found in the world's most prestigious retailers including Colette, Charlotte Ronson, Patricia Field, Fred Segal and the Standard Hotel's Oh WOW. Internationally renowned companies continue to call upon her for her insight, history, heritage and authenticity that she brings when creating or collaborating new products or art direction for their campaigns.

References

  1. ↑ "CLAWmoney : Racked NY". ny.racked.com. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  2. ↑ "Claw & Co. by CLAW MONEY". Freshness Mag. Retrieved 19 March 2014. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  3. ↑ Gran Palais, Tag Au. "Ses Artistes". Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  4. ↑ "Claw Money Press". Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Amber Alert!". Retrieved 19 March 2014. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)

External links