Collabs between brands and Street Art, a strong marketing lever

Offering a unique visual identification thanks to an exclusive aesthetic, provided added value by extending brand territory, developing visibility and reach a wider audience... The benefits of collaborations between brands and artists take the form of win-win partnerships. Contemporary artists have long been involved in commercial creation. Clothes, jewelry, accessories, perfume or alcohol carafes packaging... Everything is a pretext for marrying brands with signed artworks. And Urban Art is of course no exception to this rule! Graffiti and street artists also used to taking possession of brands, which enable brands to take the opportunity to renew their style thanks to this breath of modernity.

Are the codes of Graffiti and Street Art sufficiently meaningful and modern to be integrated into the design of consumer goods? Fashion, jewelry, leather goods, perfume, alcohol... Many mass-market products today benefit from an exclusive design signed by a renowned artist. Indeed, despite their transgressive side and their anti-consumerist messages for some of them, more and more urban artists are developing commercially-oriented creations. Born in the street, free and offered to all, the work is duplicated into limited editions or large series, flocked on three-dimensional supports, turning the object into a new work of art whose value is now monetized. Emancipating itself from museum walls, it is now worn and viewed daily, on the wrist, on the arm or at the back. Urban Art inspires designers who seize on these artistic signatures to breathe new life into their collections. A breath of urban freshness.

Yves Saint-Laurent and Mondrian, the first collaboration between designer and artist

The first collaboration between a designer and an artist's universe dates back to 1965. For his fall-winter collection, Yves Saint-Laurent released the Mondrian dress. A simple cut, geometric lines that echo the abstract motifs of the Dutch painter who died twenty years earlier. Black lines on a white background were complemented by squares in primary colors. An easily identifiable, instantly recognizable piece that has become legendary. More than just haute couture, these cocktail dresses take on the appearance of works of art in their own right. Inspired by a book on Piet Mondrian given to him by his mother ten years earlier, the great couturier paid tribute to the painter's talent by transfiguring his art through his new collection. Moreover, Yves Saint-Laurent's creations are said to have achieved the feat of transforming a two-dimensional painting into a three-dimensional garment, characterized by the strength and power of the original work.

Kiki Picasso, Keith Haring, Kongo, Kenny Scharf, INTI, André, Futura 2000, Kaws: art becomes a fashion trend

From then on, collaborations with renowned or emerging artists have become an integral part of the design and creation of consumer goods, as well as new and limited collections. Swiss watchmaker Swatch quickly understood the importance of using artistic collaborations, since its first collaboration dates back to 1985 with Kiki Picasso. A limited edition of 140 pieces, offering the lucky ones the world's smallest painting on a watch! The adventure continued in 1986 with Keith Haring, whose watches sold more than 10’000 pieces, then developed further year after year, providing artists with a new window of visibility and financing through a brand with worldwide recognition. But luxury has also taken an interest in Street Art and urban artists. Originally from Bagnolet in France and recognized in the world of Graffiti, Kongo gave his signature to Hermès in 2011 with a reinterpretation of silk squares. This was followed by Kenny Scharf, INTI and André, who signed the aesthetics of Louis Vuitton silk scarves in 2014. Over the years, collaborations between brands and artists have then diversified, reaching an ever-wider audience, becoming more accessible and offering signed objects at the price of a common consumer product. For example, the creation of capsule collections in the streetwear universe between Uniqlo and Kaws, launched in 2016 has also marked the history of collaborations between brands and artists. T-shirts, sweatshirts and tote bags bearing the image of the New York artist's Companions, his famous characters inspired by the world of cartoons and whose eyes are replaced by crosses, were snapped up like hotcakes as soon as they were released. Quickly out of stock, these pieces inevitably become collectors' items that are then resold at a premium. As proof, the latest collaboration between Futura 2000 and the brand Nike with its SB Dunk Low model, launched in May 2024, which was sold for 130€ and is now reselling for more than 3 times the starting price.

Street art, an artistic movement that has become a powerful marketing tool…

As a major artistic phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Street Art has become a natural choice for brands to establish their identities. Recognized as powerful marketing tools, artistic and creative collaborations are an opportunity to develop the brand's aura as well as the artist's reputation. Whether they are graffiti artists, muralists, stencil artists, collage artists, sticker artists or mosaic artists, urban artists are of particular interest to brands. Especially since the targets of these consumer companies are obviously the same people who grew up with this urban culture. Thirty-somethings and young forty-somethings who nowadays have good purchasing power and are ready to afford exclusive limited-edition pieces by their favorite artists, sometimes at a high price. It was therefore not a surprise that Guerlain called on JonOne in 2016 to design a new collection in tribute to three of the brand's iconic fragrances. The following year, JonOne was again featured in a collection dedicated to Graffiti, developed by the designer agnès b. Not to mention the Maison Hennessy, famous for its cognacs, which called on JonOne, Kaws, Shepard Fairey and Vhils to reinterpret the packaging design of their bottles. Or the high-end luggage brand Tumi, which organized in 2020 a series of customized suitcases TUMI 19 Degree with a dozen renowned urban artists as part of the “Waves For Water” program which aimed at providing access to drinking water for populations in need through portable filters.

…and which is since recognized as a real lever for global communication!

By integrating an artist's exclusive signature into its collections, the brand also enjoys the luxury of being able to call on the artist for live performances, the commission of murals in the heart of its boutiques and the implementation of a whole range of merchandising in the artist's colors. A true lever of global communication at the service of brand image, the collab offers the opportunity to create large-scale events, like vernissages. Thus playing on the same field as art galleries... with the object distributed in series, no less! By teaming up with a graffiti or street artist, a brand forges close links with the entire culture to which he or she belongs, echoing popular culture. It is also a way of being part of its times and remaining attractive to a wider audience. As an excellent means of communication and image-building, a collaboration makes a lasting impression and arouses desire through its exclusive and ephemeral nature. Limited editions become objects of covetousness. And aren't department stores becoming museums in their own right, as Andy Warhol used to joke? In their own way, luxury boutiques are already distributors of art... And why not trying a collaboration with your own brand?

Modernized image, enhanced attractiveness, increased visibility: the marriage between a brand and an artist is a true win-win partnership. The interest of calling on a street artist to launch a new collection also affirms the support for art from commercial companies. A prism through which both can win new customers. Now, thanks to specialized partners who work closely with graffiti and street artists, brands can also call on them to create commissioned murals in the heart of cities, or advertising murals in the brand's colors that echo commercial projects. Real happenings, these murals underline the importance of creation in public spaces, and offer free art for all.

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