Atlanta artist’s tribute to his Haitian culture and resilience gets featured on iconic Dior handbag

It’s a cold and rainy day outside Patrick Eugene’s studio in Atlanta, but as you walk in, you immediately feel the warmth of his art.

Eugene started painting at 27. He’s self-taught and doesn’t use photos for reference.

“Every piece that I paint has a flower or plant somewhere in the piece, and that’s an ode to my mother and grandmother. I grew up being my mother’s assistant with gardening,” he said.

Eugene is Haitian-American. He tries to honor his heritage through his work. Now, elements of that Caribbean culture are gracing the handbags of one of the most iconic French fashion houses.

Patrick Eugene in his Atlanta studio.

CBS News Atlanta

The Atlanta artist was handpicked by Dior to reinterpret the brand’s Lady Dior handbag for the 10th anniversary edition of its Dior Lady Art Project.

“Instantly, I felt this was something way larger than myself. So rather than translating a work directly onto the bag, I honored Haiti. I titled the series the Pearl of the Antilles,” he said.

Haiti earned the nickname during the French colonial era because of the immense wealth made from its coffee and sugar production. It was considered France’s richest colony in the 18th century.

From 1791 to 1804, Haitians revolted against the French, resisting the European country’s colonial exploitation.

“It’s a phrase that they didn’t get to necessarily benefit from. It’s a beautiful phrase; it sounds rich, it sounds elegant, and that’s what the people of Haiti are. So, I wanted to reclaim that for them,” Eugene said.

Each of his bags is designed to reflect Haiti’s hilly landscape, adorned with a pearl, and brought to life through his signature color palette. Eugene created digital mockups, wrote an essay about why the opportunity was important to him, and sent it to the Dior team.

“They received it beautifully and flew out to my studio here in Atlanta with suitcases of materials,” he recalled. “We sat down for hours clipping various materials on the bag, what would work, what wouldn’t work.”

Dior chose all three of Atlanta artist Patrick Eugene’s designs for a special bag.

Courtesy of Heather Sten/Patrick Eugene Atelier

Instead of picking one design, Dior chose all three. The bags just premiered at Art Basel Paris. 

“This opens up an opportunity to have conversations about the work, but also the narrative about Haiti, which lives through my paintings always, but I found this as a vessel and a way to get this out globally in another way,” Eugene said.

Haitian culture wasn’t always part of Eugene’s work. For years, he focused on abstract pieces, but a trip to Haiti after the catastrophic earthquake in 2010 shifted his focus.

“It changed everything for me, and I went every year after that, and there was something about the people, the resilience of the people, the history of the island that really spoke to me,” he said.

Eugene believes that when you tap into who you are, that’s when doors open.

“I think there’s something genuine about not giving too much of a care about what the outside world feels immediately, and so when I dive into it, it’s spiritual, it’s me and my space,” he said.

You can see more of Eugene’s work on his Instagram page.

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