Pairings of fashion designers with arts and crafts suppliers have been few and far between, but they do pop up occasionally. Such alliances makes sense, not only because both partners are focused on creative pursuits, but because designers’ sketches of their concepts, prior to any cutting and sewing, are often works of art in and of themselves. Lending their names to the materials they use to create these drawings—charcoal, pencils, pastels, gouache, watercolors, and the like—is a logical extension.
Examples of key partnerships in this space over the years include one that was revealed just last month:
- Marc Jacobs created adult-focused art supply sets with Crayola, in a deal announced in September, as part of his fall Joy: Artist Capsule collection. For the capsule, Jacobs paired with three different artists, visual and performance artist David Shrigley, visual artist Derrick Adams, and artist and illustrator Hattie Stewart, to create ready-to-wear apparel, accessories, and bags. Accompanying the fashion are two $85 limited-edition art tool sets from Crayola, each of which includes 24 colored pencils, 16 dual-tip markers, and 13 brush markers with blenders. They are packaged in custom boxes designed by Shrigley and Adams, respectively. Moleskin also released notebooks designed by the two artists, and several licensees in other categories also are participating in the capsule as a whole. Immersive experiences and pop-up shops are being set up in New York, Paris, and Tokyo throughout the second half of the year, and the full collection (including the art supplies) is being sold through select Nordstrom stores, Marc Jacobs boutiques, and online. The Joy creative initiative celebrates optimism, playfulness, and artistic freedom.
- Todd Oldham founded Kid Made Modern, a brand that is still ongoing today, in 2012 with a collection of craft supplies in Target stores. The brand was inspired by his book of the same name, full of artist-inspired creative projects, published by Ammo Books in 2009. After its initial run at Target, Kids Made Modern was established as an independent company. It remains centered on craft kits, projects, and supplies, encompassing everything from full art sets and beeswax crayons, to tie-dye and wooden race car kits, to a complete arts and crafts library including instructions and materials for multiple projects. Most items are priced under $40. The brand has also extended into other lifestyle categories such as apparel and home goods over the years, and has occasionally served as a licensee for outside brands such as MoMA. The company has also sold some Hand Made Modern crafts for adults, inspired by Oldham’s book Hand Made Modern, published in 2005.
- Karl Lagerfeld paired with Faber Castell in 2016 for a deluxe limited-edition art set called the Karlbox. A black wooden chest with multiple removable drawers and compartments to store 350 different art supplies, the Karlbox retailed for $2,850 (€2,500). The supplies included 120 watercolor pencils, 60 color pencils, and 60 pastels, as well as fineliner, metallic, and brush pens; graphite aquarelle pencils of various sizes; graphite crayons; brushes; and accessories including sharpening knives, sandpaper sharpening blocks, erasers, and water cups. Products were from Faber Castell’s Albrecht Dürer, Polychromos, Pitt, and Castell brands. The edition consisted of 2,500 boxes, each of which came with a serial number plate and certification of authenticity. The Karlbox was sold at Karl Lagerfeld boutiques, Faber-Castell stores, and luxury retailers such as Harrods in London, Le Bon Marché in Paris, Gump’s in San Francisco, Breuninger in Stuttgart, and Jelmoli in Zürich.
Aside from their sales potential, all of these ventures generated significant publicity for the designers and their arts and crafts partners upon their introduction.
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