Broken Pieces to Master Pieces: An interview with artist Fresh Sam

Colorado-born textile artist Fresh Sam combines her passion for one-of-a-kind garments with sustainability. Her high-quality, wearable works of art have been worn by icons like The Pharcyde, Method Man, Smino, Ashanti, D Smoke, and more. 650-and-counting pieces have been crafted with the mission of uplifting people through clothing within each garment.

In her exhibition at Meow Wolf Denver’s Galleri Gallery, Broken Pieces to Master Pieces, she has developed the first interactive (you can touch the art – our favorite thing!) show held in the gallery space, inviting viewers to enter inside her clothing and mind. The biopic installation tells about Sam’s life and life as an artist, using patchworked recycled materials to cover the walls and 3D elements, symbolizing the construction and deconstruction of oneself. 

I had the opportunity to interview Sam before her recent trip to Iceland and learn more about her, her background, and creative process. The common thread here that Sam shares is, no matter how hard life hits, “...others [can] resonate and take away [from] the beauty from being broken, hurt or knocked down by life.” 

Entry to Galleri Gallery is included with General Admission tickets.

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Let’s get to the questions:

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Has growing up in Colorado influenced your creative process? If so, what has most inspired your creations? If not, what does? ‍

Sam: Growing up in Colorado as a person who liked to wear “weird” & “loud” outfits was always hard, I experienced a lot of judgement and weird looks lol but I think it’s helped me accept my personal style more & love it! When I moved to Los Angeles, I felt at home for the simple fact I could wear my craziest outfits and no one would look twice. 

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What is your daily routine, as it relates to art?

Sam: When you walk in Galleri Gallery you may notice the soundtrack is birds chirping and water running, that was intentional on many levels but the first was because that’s how I start my day. I start with a walk in nature, I always follow the sounds of birds and it just lifts me up. I love slow mornings to get into my flow for the day and creatively. After my walks / gym / meditation / protein breakfast I go straight to creating, whether that be on a custom piece, or styling someone… everything just flows from there. Usually my days are insanely busy and non-stop so I give myself the morning to prepare and it’s become one of my favorite parts of the day!

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In your mood board plan for this installation, you mentioned that you noticed a correlation between your life story and the 650+ jackets you’ve created. What is the correlation and can you tell me a little more about the moment you came to realize this?

Sam: Yes! So I spent about 7-8 years off and on living and working in Los Angeles. My foot was on the gas every single moment of that time and I accomplished a lot. It wasn’t until I let off the gas and came home to Denver to reset and reflect that I realized my work has a common theme and that is taking discarded, broken, old things and turning them into something new and beautiful. After time to sit with myself, I realized I got so good at this process because I did it with myself all my life. My childhood was unique, I experienced a lot of heartbreak & at an early age I had to learn how to take those bad feels and hurt and transform into something great. I used the pain to start my path of becoming a fashion designer and poured it all into becoming someone I could be proud of! 

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When developing your concept for Galleri Gallery, what inspired you to make an interactive installation through textiles?

Sam: During my career, I’ve had various people tell me how impactful and uplifting my pieces made them feel… I wanted to immerse everyone in that feeling so I wrapped the gallery in textiles that reflected happiness (color), textures and, of course, new and recycled denim.

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Tell me about your largest deadstock treasure find and what you created with it.

Sam: I recently collaborated with Meow Wolf to take their damaged and un-useable apparel and accessories and turn them into new 1 of 1 pieces. I’d say this was a large treasure find because I had so many options and pieces, I made 10 and they all sold in the first week. I’m excited for what’s next!

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You’ve had a lot of success working with celebrities and curating looks for them on stage. What is one of your favorite experiences working with talent? If they are a stage performer, how did it feel seeing your creations worn while they’re center-stage? 

Sam: In April of this year, I made a fully custom couture lambskin jumpsuit for Imani from The Pharcyde to wear at his Coachella performance and it was unreal to see in action. He actually brought me out on stage mid-performance to let the crowd know about the fit and who made it, definitely a highlight of my career! 

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You can follow Fresh Sam on Instagram here.