Collaborations don’t just happen in the fashion business: there is a growing use of celebrities to sell in other areas of the luxury world. This week we look at an iconic artist being used for a top-end Champagne brand, a high-level designer going high street and a spy being exploited to flog overpriced cocktails. But at the same time, we find a great example of two brands colliding and the use of cutting-edge technology to create a seamless bag. Read on for this week’s news!
The 007 – World’s First James Bond Bar
We at The Editors are huge Bond fans – from the earliest Connery years to the recent reboots (we even love the fabulous 70s Roger Moore years) – but, despite that, we are a bit dismayed by the opening of a pop-up 007 bar in London. Famous for his vodka martinis (we all know how he drank them…) Bond was a connoisseur of both wine and cocktails but we can’t imagine he would be found dead in a tacky bar surrounded by film memorabilia and plastic Aston Martins hanging from the ceiling. To have the real experience, leave Burlington Arcade (as IF Bond would shop there alongside all those mumsy Sloane Rangers) and grab a seat at the bar at The Ritz just around the corner. Now THAT is a place to drink a martini.
Dom Pérignon’s tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat
Talking of Bond, the secret agent made no secret of his love for Dom Perignon champagne so it’s a bit of a coincidence that this week sees the launch of a special edition of the luxury brand’s 2015 vintage with a special label and box using imagery by the legendary Jean-Michel Basquiat. After working with packaging by the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Lady Gaga and Jeff Koons, this version features an iconic graffiti crown on a background of the artist’s 1983 ‘In Italian’ painting (surely it should have been ‘In French’?). Whilst it looks great, we’re not sure whether the New York-based painter would have hated this use of his work or perhaps loved it (his great collaborator and mentor Andy Warhol for sure would have done).
Zara x Stefano Pilati
Zara seems to be following in H&M’s hugely successful path and doing collabs with known designers to create small collections with affordable price tags and a bit more creative input. Following a much-heralded team-up with stylist Harry Lambert last year, the Spanish retailer has just released a capsule with ex-Yves Saint Laurent ex-Zegna maestro Stefano Pilati and pretty damned good it is too. Featuring both mens and womenswear, the pieces are mostly in black and are very chic with just a bit of kinkiness running through them (remember this is the guy who posed nude with a giant YSL logo statue during his tenure) so expect loose leather shorts, mesh vests and some rather suggestive jewellery…
Fred Perry x Craig Green
Regular readers of this column won’t be surprised at the news of yet another sportswear brand x hot designer collab (they come along on a daily basis) but the new Fred Perry x Craig Green partnership, launched this week, is definitely one of the better examples we have seen recently. Too often these mash-ups are basically an exercise in logoing and recolouring but this small collection really does reflect a combination of both aesthetics: avant-garde from Green and sporty from Perry. Think double collars on a totally reversible polo and fencing garb-style quilting. There are just two styles so far but we think this one could have legs…
Coperni x Disney ‘gravity-free’ Ariel bag
Paris Fashion Week ended with a bang – or rather fireworks – with the first every show presented in a Disneyland site by kings-of-viral-marketing Coperni. Whilst everyone was amazed by the location (directly in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle) the clothes were maybe a little underwhelming for a lot of the spectators (though we are always suckers for a Disney-branded sweatshirt). One stand-out piece though was an accessory: a bright blue Swipe bag dedicated to mermaid Ariel that was entirely 3D printed using a new technique that suspends the object in a liquid gel rather than on a stand. Apparently this allows for a totally seamless construction and means it can be made and ready for use in a matter of minutes (something that is probably not reflected in the price, however). Check the video on our Instagram.
