While in New York for a visit last week, I had the chance to stop by G-Star Raw’s newest flagship store across the street from the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue – their first opening since Pharrell Williams became an owner of the brand back in February. Pharrell has already done several collections with the label, including a line made from ocean plastic. And it’s not his first foray into the fashion world: he is also the founder of brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream, proving that he is truly capable of manoeuvring seamlessly between sectors.
The music and fashion industries have been intertwined for a very long time, with many performing artists taking up roles within clothing companies as brand ambassadors, doing capsule collections, or even launching their own lines. Just last week, the Kering-owned men’s label Brioni announced its first advertising campaign from its new creative director, Justin O’Shea, featuring the heavy metal band Metallica in a bid to reposition itself as a radical, masculine luxury brand.
However most fashion labels look in their celebrity representatives for a figure embodying an existing brand identity. A$AP Rocky’s appearance in the DKNY Spring 2014 campaign alongside Cara Delavingne was perhaps an unconventional choice, but his character ended up being perfect for a brand that finds its heritage in New York City. In 2008, fashionable trainer brand Puma signed a deal with Scottish singer Paolo Nutini through Warner Music International, allowing the sportswear company to feature his song “New Shoes” in commercials. Similarly, Lana Del Rey featured as the main face of H&M for their Fall and Winter 2012 collections globally.
“Brands and bands have been collaborating forever. It’s a very healthy and necessary relationship which should continue to flourish and find fearless creative touch points, and what’s even better is when brands become patrons of the arts and give unknown young artists exposure” – Denzyl Feigelson, founder of AWAL.com and adviser to Coca-Cola and Apple
The relationship between music and fashion extends beyond the borders of pop and rock genres. Research shows that over £100m was invested by big brands in the music industry in 2013, and classical musicians, including the pianist Lang Lang, have received sponsorships from luxury labels including Hublot, Rolex, Versace and Shanghai Tai. According to Denzyl Feigelson, founder of AWAL.com and adviser to brands like Apple and Coca-Cola, “Brands and bands have been collaborating forever. It’s a very healthy and necessary relationship which should continue to flourish and find fearless creative touch points, and what’s even better is when brands become patrons of the arts and give unknown young artists exposure.”
But whereas singers have routinely found themselves involved in the world of fashion, it seems that a new type of relationship is coming to form between the two industries. Back in September, Burberry partnered with Apple to launch the first branded channel for Apple Music, which it used to showcase its collaborations with British artists, including Tom Odell and George Ezra. The channel, found within the services ‘Curators’ section, is available to all 15 million paid Apple Music subscribers.
Since then, a number of other big names in luxury have claimed a stake in the digital music industry. Earlier this month, Alexander Wang, now CEO and chairman in addition to creative director of his eponymous label, launched three playlists on the Apple Music Fashion channel. According to the fashion visionary, the three collections, dubbed ‘Chill’, ‘Hype’ and ‘Vibe’ reflect one of his many party-ready moods: “[It] is a compilation of songs that I’ve used in previous runway shows to get me up out of my chair”. And Italian fashion label Fendi has partnered with Spotify to showcase a playlist on their ecommerce website, inviting customers to “listen to music with fresh eyes” as they search for sunglasses.
“This playlist is a compilation of songs that I’ve used in previous runway shows to get me up out of my chair” – Alexander Wang
Published playlists have often featured in fashion magazines, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, giving consumers access into the music that keep industry stars inspired and motivated. But the advent of online music streaming has brought a more dynamic element to this, allowing creative directors to change the music on tap on a whim according to their mood and exposing consumers to their ongoing inspiration. We’ve always known the relationship between a fashion show and music – who could even imagine a runway show without an amazing playlist? This updated element to the music and fashion relationship allows those without access to live shows to ‘hear’ the soundtrack to a collection on the go.
As a number of luxury labels fight digitalisation to maintain the exclusivity that they’re so well-known for, it’s refreshing to see a number of others taking advantage of the wealth of innovation surrounding them to afford consumers a more immersive experience. Although exclusivity has its place in the luxury world, every sector can benefit from the innovation and creativity that comes from outside of an industry – both in terms of resources available and the consumers who benefit from them. In the case of fashion, those who want to become tomorrow’s biggest creative directors are one step closer to the thought process of today’s visionaries.
With innovation moving at a rapid-fire pace across all industries and global conglomerates gobbling up market share, it can be tempting to approach company strategy with blinders to anything not immediately relevant. But with the exponential proliferation of demand for customer experience, creative collaborations between different business sectors could truly be what it takes to make a brand stand out from the rest.
Moira@thembsgroup.co.uk | @MoiraBenigson | @TheMBSGroup | thembsgroup