SINGAPORE, Feb 19 — The music and fashion realms have always collided and overlappped throughout history, from jointly spearheading the punk movement in the 1970s to the regular front-row presence of musicians at the Fashion Week runway shows.
Lady Gaga’s much talked-about tribute to the late David Bowie at the recent Grammys — complete with his trademark 1980s contoured make-up and a hologram that morphed her face into Ziggy Stardust — perfectly illustrates this symbiotic relationship.
Countless iconic fashion moments were created by the prevailing music culture of its time.
Think: Madonna in Jean-Paul Gaultier’s cone-shaped bra, Kurt Cobain and the surge in popularity of Doc Martens and ripped denim, and hip-hop and rap’s role in elevating the humble sneaker into a fashion statement.
While this confluence of music and fashion seem almost incidental, the last few years have seen a sharp rise in creative collaborations between music artists and fashion brands on a much more commercial basis.
Kanye West’s fashion-designer aspirations have seen him take on high-profile collaborations with Nike and Adidas, and he had launched his personal fashion label Yeezy last year in New York to significant commercial success.
The Fenty Puma by Rihanna collection debuted last week at New York Fashion Week, the first full collection designed by the hip-hop star in her role as creative director of the streetwear label.
While a handful of music stars have launched fashion lines mainly as vanity projects, Rihanna was the first musician to be hired to creatively helm a fashion giant, as its creative director. Inspired by Japanese street culture and traditions, and taking cues from her personal street-style approach to fashion, the collection featured exaggerated silhouettes and a blurring of gender lines.
“This collection is not only a representation of who I am and how I dress, but also pushes the boundaries of what I wanted to create with Puma,” said Rihanna in the official press statement. “I wanted to take Puma to a new place with something unpredictable and unexpected.”
And taking the brands to unexpected territories is perhaps just what the stakeholders ordered. With Hollywood celebrities becoming increasingly bland in their personal style, the fashion industry is looking to music culture and its stars for a more unique, individualised perspective on mass fashion.
The huge fan base that comes with each music celebrity also serves as an in-built audience and market for such co-branding initiatives. And why simply hire them as a face for an advertising campaign when they can go one step further and put their personal stamp on the design of the products?
The appeal of music stars as designers and muses isn’t just confined to the fashion realm. It is also fast becoming the next big trend in the beauty arena as well.
Urban Decay is launching its first-ever celebrity collaboration with punk-pop star Gwen Stefani on March 3 at Urban Decay and Sephora stores. Stefani’s bold yet sexy look is a perfect fit for the cosmetics label’s edgy, colour-oriented brand positioning. She had worked closely with Urban Decay founder and chief creative officer Wende Zomnir on the creation of the products in the UDxGwen collection.
“When Urban Decay came to me to collaborate, I immediately thought it was a perfect match,” said Stefani, herself a former make-up artist.
“It’s all about creative self-expression, being strong and not being afraid to go outside of the box… From a very young age, it was an artistic passion of mine. I love wearing make-up and having so many ways to express myself through it. It’s my war paint. To be able to do a collaboration with people who get that concept and who are just as passionate about, it is a dream come true.”
Cosmetics giant M.A.C is also launching a collaborative first with its new #MACFutureForward collection, set to launch here on April 1, exclusively at M.A.C stores at 313@Somerset and Bugis Junction.
Although the brand is no stranger to working with musicians on their Viva Glam campaigns (Nicky Minaj, Elton John and, most recently, Ariana Grande were the faces for the charity initiative in aid of the M.A.C Aids Fund), the #MACFutureForward collection features four lesser-known up-and-coming music industry talents: Tinashe, Lionbabe, Dej Loaf and Halsey.
Said James Gager, M.A.C senior vice-president and group creative director: “M.A.C has always been a supporter of both established and emerging talents in the music industry. We have a solid record of identifying and providing unique support to them at the beginning of their careers.
"With the Future Forward collaboration, we admired each artist’s distinctive sense of style and point of view on beauty … Each of their personalities are fully expressed in their product.”
The brand intends to bring on board more emerging musical talents with the aim of strengthening its link to insiders and influencers to the fast-moving undercurrents of the world of pop music today.
And with the sought-after millennials market increasingly trending towards alternative pop culture and the digital space, this might just be where the fashion and beauty industries are headed, too. — TODAY
