Background
Gold was born into a Jewish family in Fresh Meadows, Queens, and Roslyn, New York, and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology until 1986.
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Claw Money
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Fashion Institute of Technology.
Career
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. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, her icon, a paw with three claws, could be seen on the New York graffiti landscape on walls and trains with the graffiti crews TC5 and Football Club.
She has been influenced by other graffiti artists such as Zephyr, Dondi, Revolt, Sharp, Dontay, Devo and MQ. Zephyr having a significant influence. She is the focus of the first in a series of women in art documentaries produced and featured by Google.
After making her mark throughout New York City with her graffiti, she became the fashion editor and director at Swindle Magazine.
She began styling which led her to becoming a vintage dealer. As a fashion designer, she owns the Claw Money and Claw & Company labels.
Finding an outlet in fashion and design, the brands CLAWMONEY and Claw&Company have collaborated with companies such as Calvin Klein, Mark Ecko, Gpen, Lord & Taylor, rag & bone, National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, 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 popular 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. As of June 2014, Claw will be launching the debut line of The collection remixes athletic staples with updated silhouettes and unique textiles, focusing on patterns. In 2012, she was the subject of the short documentary Claw by the digital channel WIGS. Doug Pray"s 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.
Google is also putting the finishing touches on a short film about her that is going to launch its upcoming series on artists. The clothing line Claw Money has a celebrity following that includes M.I.A. (artist), Kanye West, Kreayshawn, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and Santigold.
Her apparel can be found in retailers including Colette, Charlotte Ronson, Patricia Field, Fred Segal and the Standard Hotel"s Oh WOW.
