photo by Rimas Zailskas
Organic Armor creates costumes for tribal fairy punks, video game priestesses, alien viking warriors and circus divas, among other things. All the pieces are handmade and one-of-a-kind. They look like antique metal or leather but are actually soft, light, reinforced rubber. They are durable, flexible, comfortable and can be worn for many hours through active movement, making them suitable for performance, clubs, ritual or the backyard.
Paul has been developing the techniques and designs of Organic Armor for more than fifteen years. His work was first inspired by his adventures at the Burning Man Festival. In making costumes for himself, he learned by trial and error how to make them comfortable as well as original.
His first paid commission was to create prop weapons for an acrobatic, techno music version of the Hindu epic The Ramayana in 2000. They had to be fierce looking, yet safe for the dancers to perform with. He sculpted rubber and foam into forms inspired by ancient Indian culture. They were an instant success, winning an LA Weekly award.
Not long after this his day job of mainframe computer programmer was “offshored”. It was a moment of opportunity and he grabbed it. Organic Armor was born.
Since then he has created costumes for many productions including: Jackson Frost at Glendale Centre Theater; Goblin City, an indie sci-fi film; The Mayan Dance Company of Los Angeles; and Lucent Dossier at the Coachella Music Festival. He has outfitted many types of performers, including belly dancers, hula hoopers, fire spinners, musicians, burlesque dancers, strippers, stiltwalkers and puppeteers.
“I am an artist’s artist. ” Paul says. “Most of my customers are creative people of one kind or another. I find my esthetic comrades in underground culture where people make their own worlds.”
photo by Bill Rhodes
Paul and his wife Jennifer run the company together. They sell online and at steampunk, renaissance and faerie festivals, and sci-fi conventions around the country. They recently relocated from Los Angeles to the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina in order to simplify their lives and develop the business.
“I encourage everyone to participate joyfully in life’s masquerade.” says Paul. “ I love to see someone put on one of my pieces and suddenly stand more regally, become more radiant, and recognize the divine within themselves.”
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