OPEN CLOSET With Kayten Schmidt

OPEN CLOSET With
Kayten Schmidt

To mark the launch of RENLEN's first resale collection, we invited artist and creative consultant Kayten Schmidt to interpret the pieces through her singular lens and style.

Below, Kayten uncovers the details of her artistic practice and explores her personal relationship to adornment and intrinsic style.

Kayten wears Isa Boulder Bodysuit, coming soon.

You're an artist with a distinct visual handwriting. How did you establish a visual language for yourself and your work?

I don't think it's something that happens intentionally, I think it's an intrinsic sensibility one has from a very young age. I grew up on fashion magazines, I studied fashion and then ultimately painting, so I have a very 2D mind. Photography came next, sort of out of necessity but also out of a real joyful appreciation of the camera and the process. The language is the thing I think the least about, it is always there.

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Kayten wears Jil Sander Bodysuit and Dion Lee skirt, coming soon.

Photography came next, sort of out of necessity but also out of a real joyful appreciation of the camera and the process. The language is the thing I think the least about, it is always there.

What parts, if any, of the creative process do you cherish the most?

I cherish research so much. I love doing research. I cherish thinking about new ideas..... the beginnings. I cherish getting film back from the lab. I cherish scanning. I cherish going through my archives.

You have co-founded and cultivated Lawrence & Schmidt - a study in sculptural, one-of-one jewellery. How would you describe your relationship to adornment, style and identity?

I think my relationship to adornment probably fuels everything I do. In addition to being a collector and an antiquarian, I love making visuals with special pieces that have some sort of symbolism or meaning. I love jewellery and clothing and what it conveys. I think sometimes I should probably play with style and identity more, but then realise maybe there is something in standing one's ground in taste and just staying true to what comes naturally. I am a kitchen who refuses to be rehabbed. Who knows, maybe the next phase will be more experimental.

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