Archive for collaboration

The force is strong with this one

Posted in arts & business with tags , , , , , on February 18, 2010 by culturalbranding

Cult following is of invaluable benefit to brands, so when two such cult powerhouses partner up, the benefits to both brand and consumer are incredible.  Cue: the adidas Originals Star Wars collection.

adidas Originals Vice President, Ben Pruess comments: “Like adidas Originals, the ‘Star Wars’ brand has a long and rich history of being a leader, leaving an indelible mark on pop culture.”  A representative from the film adds: “Lost a planet Master Obi-Wan has.  How embarrassing”.

Where was I…  One of a vast number of Star Wars creative collaborations by the good folk at Twentieth Century Fox, the adidas Originals Star Wars collection designs, whilst bearing Star Wars character names, remain actually quite subtle, with the designs borrowing simply from the colour palettes and general aesthetics of the films.

adidas have cannily supported the collaboration with a dedicated microsite where true diehard fans can download some of the glossy designs as wallpapers, while letting their cohorts know via the Facebook social networking tie-in application.

If you aren’t really that much of a sneaker-freak, you can at least bathe in glory in the celebrity-fest that is the campaign advert.  And fear not, the noticeable absence of any Jar Jar Binks shoes should ensure that both Star Wars’ and adidas’ integrity remains… The force is strong with this one.

Rose Enright

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Louis Vuitton all wrapped up in Hong Kong

Posted in contemporary art, cultural branding, luxury, pop-up with tags , , , , , , on June 2, 2009 by culturalbranding

Hong Kong Museum of Art

If we all weren’t impressed enough already with Louis Vuitton’s cultural collaborations over the last 150 years (yes, really), a spectacular new exhibition is now on show at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.  Never one for lacklustre or discrete marketing campaigns, LV has announced the occasion somewhat spectacularly.  In a similar style as seen late last year in New York, when the brand’s 5th Avenue store was wrapped in Takashi Murakami’s Monogram Multicolor design for the holiday season, The Hong Kong Museum of Art has been covered in its entirety with Richard Prince’s ‘After Dark’, continuing the relationship with an artist the brand has worked with extensively on collections in recent years.

The exhibition celebrates the brand’s long association with art, including a look back at the renowned artist re-designs of the LV monogram and the rare treat of a selection of pieces from the Louis Vuitton Foundation being on public view.

Prince’s ‘After Dark’ series features blown-up covers of novels he has collected, each illustrating protagonists’ tales of ‘After Dark’, or after midnight in cities spanning the globe – every second city is Hong Kong.  The spectacle represents one of the first public art installations on Hong Kong’s history.

Hong Kong Museum of Art - Victoria Harbour by night

‘Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation’ is on until August 9th.

Rose Enright

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Photography and finery in W1

Posted in arts & business, culture, luxury with tags , , , , , , on February 25, 2009 by culturalbranding

Stephen Gill - 'Untitled' from the series 'Hackney Flowers'

Liberty of London has a rich history of supporting and showcasing the traditional alongside new up and coming design. Reflecting this commitment in a contemporary context, the iconic British luxury brand has in more recent years announced partnerships with established artists including Grayson Perry, right through to emerging talent from Central St Martin’s School of Art. Last year saw Liberty team up with the V&A, which led to collaboration over the staging of the popular ‘China Design Now’, with specially commissioned neon Chinese characters appearing in store windows for the duration of the exhibition.

As if renewing their vow to nurture artistic talent, Liberty has now partnered with The Photographer’s Gallery. In celebration of the Gallery’s recent move to the neighbourhood, and in an art-world equivalent of ‘popping round to borrow some sugar’, The Photographer’s Gallery is currently showing an offsite exhibition ‘British Landscape Photography’ on the top floor of the impressive Tudor interiors of Liberty’s East Atrium.

Chrystel Lebas - 'Blue Hour'

As an exhibition in a retail environment, the photographs interact with the space and the products in a fascinating way. There is a noticeable lean toward geometric grid presentation, and a pleasing, almost tongue-in-cheek visual harmony between the hues and tones of the photographs and the furniture on display within close proximity. A great example of this can be seen when pondering over Crystel Lebas’ ‘Blue Hour’ – a dark panoramic portrayal of the rich velvety greens and violets of a bluebell forest in Wiltshire (£4,542). Adjust your line of vision downwards a few feet, and you find yourself gazing with similar wide-eyed wonderment at a vintage 1930s deep blue and mauve mohair chaise longue, (£4,850). Happily displaying its orange sticker, ‘Blue Hour’ will unfortunately soon have to part company with its velvety friend. The photographs from Stephen Gill’s ‘Hackney Flowers’ series – a vivid contemporary critique of both east London and the photographic medium itself – are each displayed above wildly coloured luxe Christine Herman-designed chairs.

British Landscape Photography is an excellent example of a thoughtfully put-together exhibition, showcasing a brave and diverse collection of contemporary approaches to landscape photography, and demonstrating a successful, mutually-beneficial collaboration. After all, when art and retail work in such great harmony, how can one resist buying both that print AND that vintage Victorian Turkish-embroidered armchair?!

Rose Enright

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