Luxury houses are opening their doors to artists, inviting them not only to play the role of ambassador, but also designer and consultant.
Take Louis Vuitton’s second partnership with world-famous artist Yayoi Kusama. Unmatched in scale and scope, Creating Infinity is sparking conversations online and turning heads in many cities. Known for her Infinity Rooms and signature polka-dotted pumpkins, this supersized activation has placed the 93-year-old Japanese artist at the top of many social media threads – and buildings.
Luxury watchmaker Hublot has enlisted contemporary artist Daniel Arsham as a brand ambassador. To ‘start the clock on the new collaboration’, the artist created the Light & Time installation, an ephemeral mountain clock in the Swiss Alps.
Stella McCartney has been cultivating a close relationship with Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara since 2021, co-creating capsule collections celebrating shared values of non-conformity and rebellion.
Elsewhere, crystal-maker and perfumer Lalique called on American artist James Turrell to create two fragrances, encapsulated in show-stopping crystal bottles. Also in the fragrance sector, Guerlain has collaborated with design house Maison Matisse on a limited-edition collection inspired by the works of Henri Matisse, in celebration of the art of happiness.
Continue the conversation: What differentiates a product from a collectable artwork? Discuss with your clients if an artist’s blueprint influences how they perceive the value of a piece.
Images: Hublot and Daniel Arsham, Switzerland
Image: Art of Genius by Moncler, London
More than mere co-branding or marketing gimmick, some luxury houses are engaging in deeply thoughtful, cross-sector collaborations centred on know-how exchange.
Merging automotive with haute couture, the uber-luxurious Phantom Syntopia was born from a four-year collaboration process between Rolls-Royce and Dutch fashion trailblazer Iris van Herpen, transposing her sculptural, awe-inspiring and biomimicry-heavy style to the car.
Elsewhere, Hennessy has teamed up with Dior’s artistic director Kim Jones to revamp cognac for young spirits enthusiasts. The XO collection comprises cognac-hued trainers and a Masterpiece decanter, melding cognac-making, streetwear and couture.
In the hospitality arena, Rosewood Hong Kong launched a curated series of immersive experiences celebrating luxury, art and culinary excellence. In Rosewood Artistry multi-disciplinary experts came together to host dining experiences, a generative digital art installation and masterclasses.
Continue the conversation: What unexpected brand collaboration has recently surprised your clients?
Branded exhibitions blur the lines between product and artwork. While the concept is not new, such activations are multiplying as brands seek to supercharge social and cultural cachet. A roster of events is set to take luxury from store to museum in 2023:
: Veuve Clicquot: Solar Culture, London (12 May 2023–6 June 2023)
: Vivienne Westwood: Corsets: 1987 to Present Day, London (8–21 May 2023)
: Iris Van Herpen, Paris (starting 29 November 2023)
: Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto, London (starting 23 September 2023)
: And, of course, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams, Tokyo (until 28 May 2023)
Continue the conversation: Discuss with your clients whether they have ever considered some of the pieces they own as artworks fit to be exhibited in a museum.
Images: Veuve Clicquot: La Grande Dame and Yayoi Kusama, London
