Artistic Race & the Art of Polishing vol. 2 – New York School of (Cultural) Tuning

KITH x BMW

Until recently, original boutiques mixing conventions and combining contexts were often considered natural partners for luxury brands when the latter wanted to experiment a bit or needed to refresh their image. It was visible in the case of Colette, no longer existing, the already mentioned Dover Street Market or the groundbreaking Corso Como. To some extent, it can still be observed, although new aspirers and new stars have appeared.
Today, global corporations look for even fresher solutions, so they partner up with street fashion and street art representatives. We have had enough time to get used to uncountable variations on Nike, Adidas or Asics shoes signed by artists, streetwear brands and the very boutiques. But a situation where a fashion brand and a boutique chain enter into cooperation with a car company seems in many respects both unprecedented and telltale. BMW has already paved the way collaborating with Futura 2000, a street art canon artist. During Frieze Art Fair LA 2020 the edition of its M2 model after an artistic tuning by Leonard Hilton McGurr was presented.

Street Beauty Race

KITH is a boutique chain and clothing brand established by Ronnie Fieg. It has quite a status in the world of street fashion, and there was a time when the boutiques designed by Snarkitecture set trends in the design of original retail spaces. The interiors present a palette of codes characteristic of American culture. They are inspired both by high art and street art, but also by sports. Located in New York, Miami or Los Angeles, these shops are distinguished by their unique style, different in each case but sharing the original concept. The industrial character of the store in California is underlined by raw concrete walls. But they do not determine the qualities of the space entirely, because they are contrasted with glossy silver mosaic finish, mirrors and quilted burgundy velvet. Also simply brass hangers fixed to the ceiling add a touch of subtlety to the interior. Our attention is attracted by the main detail – an arranged capsule in the middle of the shop. The space is separated by walls formed by glass vertical shutters and topped with a brass cornice from which delicate plants cascade down. Here is where the most luxury goods offered by the store are displayed. Inside, we come across a well-known pattern in a new version – herringbone floor, but made of marble instead of wood. Above it there are shelves running along rounded-corner walls, and the whole is crowned by an illuminated milk glass ceiling.

A typical motif connecting the boutiques are replicated Air Jordan shoe casts integrated into the space in various ways. In Los Angeles, shoe models hang from the ceiling with plants twining among them. A similar solution has been applied in Brooklyn in New York, though without the greenery. And in Manhattan this hallmark is presented in a slightly different way – sneakers are placed in a glass tube passing through two storeys.

A Sentimental Journey in a New Direction

Fieg himself is famous for a number of projects with brands not only from the world of sports and fashion, although his achievements in this area are the greatest. For sure he is a fashion arbiter seconding successive streetwear’s feats in the world of mass culture. His dossier includes cooperation with Coca-Cola, Adidas, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Disney, Versace, Polo Ralph Lauren, Aimé Leon Dore, Nobu hotels or the cosmetic brand Malin + Goetz.

His cooperation with BMW is therefore not a coincidence, but a result of his growing position in the industry. The project is based on his personal and emotional relationship with the brand – a good context to make it credible for the audience. Such situations always provoke questions about to what extent such relationships are the work of a PR department, how much of the reality they reflect. In this case, sentimental threads of the projects are evidenced by the archival photo of the BMW E21 once owned by the designer’s grandfather. Nostalgia is like turbocharging. Heritage, cultural continuity and emotions are values that simply cannot be overestimated by brands, especially those highly positioned. Therefore, in order to blend the old with the new into a complete image of a brand that is modern yet aware of its traditions, it was decided to personalise Fieg’s historic model and prepare a limited edition of a currently manufactured model, BMW M4 Competition.

The purpose of all these endeavours is not only to better embed the brand in the cultural context, but also to connect it to the source of the vital power called lifestyle. Recipients should see not just a vehicle but an object which perfectly complements their idea of the contemporary form of material expression and is linked to millions of nuances transmitted for instance through social media. This is what it’s all about. We live in the era of mass uniqueness, reefs of exceptionality, unlimited limited editions. And so we have references to the past and the present, also in the form of the accompanying capsule collections of clothes vel accessories. A tangible sign of the times and the increasing openness to change is BMW’s famous emblem with a Bavarian chessboard. The element whose integrity the corporation had guarded (not being an exception here) like a Swiss bank its assets. And yet for this project the emblem was modified. An additional ring was added in the colours taken from the M series identity, with a description of the cooperation. It appeared in this form both on clothes and on the hood of the limited car model. As we can see, the German brand experiments not only with the background of its logo (introducing recently its new flattened version where it is possible to change the colour of the ring around the chessboard).

This motif, typical for cooperation between fashion brands where logos interact by being combined in various ways, is now also present in the car industry. The current eclecticism allows a brand to run a breakfast cereal bar (KITH Treats is equivalent to cafés that often complement concept stores), collaborate with global corporations, create niche projects and have pop-up boutiques at historic department stores such as Bergdorf Goodman or Selfridges.

Digital Street Art

It is a good occasion to mention Volvo’s flirt with street art, initiated in 2011 with the Volvo Art Session project in Zurich. The idea is to show not only the effect of work, but the creative process itself, made accessible to the audience and recorded. Compiled materials, with added digital effects, in a very vivid way show the works of artists such as Koralie & SupaKitch duet, DAIM or Polish Etam Cru. Classic street art and graffiti mix here with kinetic art and mapping. From the beginning, the key was the relationship between humans and art and new technologies, though the most recent editions have shifted the centre of gravity towards matters related to virtualisation and digitalisation of our reality, as exemplified by projects integrating visual arts, music and dance. It is well visible in particular in projects by Leigh Sachwitz or WHITEvoid studio.

We can feel that a product, a car in this case, is no longer an abstracted work, but rather a leading actor. Looking at these productions, on the one hand we can see a very fresh approach to communication, but on the other, it is hard to resist the impression that sometimes too many means of expression may turn a good concept into a circus spectacle of sorts, adhering to the dictate of sensation technology. So it seems a good thing that in the last years the focus has been rather on panel discussions and artistic installations not comprising vehicles.

Porsche x Aimé Leon Dore

Teddy Santis is a fashion designer and the owner of the increasingly successful clothing brand Aimé Leon Dore. Its aesthetics combine the retro chic associated with Ralph Lauren or Brooks Brothers with elements of contemporary streetwear. The Ivy League style is mixed with a classic New York street fashion. Even though Santis runs a brand that has already become global, he is hardly as recognisable as Daniel Arsham (whose cooperation for instance with Porsche is discussed in the third part of this series) in terms of the scale or diversity of communities and environments that have expanded it. However also in his case the long-term fascination with the German brand’s cars has transformed into a collaboration consisting in restoring a historic model. Another similarity between the two projects is giving the cars a personal touch in the form of accessories, finishing elements or subtle markings.

Generational Change of Connoisseurs

Dabblers looking at the car from the outside will not find many details revealing what is hidden inside. Zinc white paint, a small decal with the red Pegasus and an equally delicate emblem attached to the engine hood (in Porsche 911 traditionally placed at the rear). Inside, however, Santis has created a scenery for an imaginary almost perfect space of a classic sports car. The restrained, elegant, but also contemporary design is based on one colour: honey beige of various types of leather. The only contrasting element is the central section of seat upholstery, featuring houndstooth fabric (by Loro Piana). Every detail here is a reference, though without flamboyance. Much like puns for automotive connoisseurs under the hood of an elaborate design. The project’s communication potential has been extended, as is usually the case, by a collection of clothes and accessories with the motif of the said Pegasus – a symbol that used to appear on the racing variants of Porsche. In addition, Aimé Leon Dore 964 Porsche Carrera 4 had been displayed for a while at Jeffrey Deitch’s art gallery in New York City. An interesting thread is also a spot promoting the project. Marvellously shot, brisk, located in a snowy mountain landscape. Camera perfectly follows the rhythm of the drive, and the editing and general climate allow one to feel the dynamics typical for skateboard and BMX films. Not surprising, as the spot was directed by Harrison Boyce, a long-term BMX rider and the author of series of films featuring Nigel Sylvester – the star of this sport.

New Marriages, Old Rules

As we can see, cars have been cultural emblems almost since they were invented. They play a leading role in cinema and painting, not to mention music. According to many, they are works of art themselves, examples of the technical advancement of our civilisation. In their most elaborated forms, they take part in the race of dreams to win mass applause and become collectors’ objects of desire. Competition is fierce, points granted not only for speed – elegance is as important. The route is demanding, conditions changeable, and spectators have practically seen it all and can always drive away in a competitor’s car, without even checking their rear-view mirror. The automotive industry is well aware that today the old divisions and set functions are as archaic as a CD changer in a car.

Growing environmental awareness, changing lifestyle and forms of mobility as well as interpenetration of fashion, art and culture and their influence on many product categories (and how they are communicated in the view of experience economy and aestheticisation) make brands give nuances to their image. Street art has already entered the mainstream, followed by street fashion and street culture in general. They can still have an avant-garde form, but in terms of the ideas they are now the Establishment. As an example we can name a protagonist of this trend, the brand Supreme, which has cooperated with Louis Vuitton, and recently taken over VF Corporation (the owner of The North Face, Vans, Timberland and several other brands), or collaboration of Jerry Lorenzo and his Fear of God with the Ermenegildo Zegna fashion house.

• Part 1.: ARTISTIC RACE & THE ART OF POLISHING VOL. 1 – Artistic Car Performance
• Part 3.: ARTISTIC RACE & THE ART OF POLISHING VOL. 3 New School of (Avant-Garde) Artistic Directorship