Ratingen/New York, 2017-May-10 — /EPR Retail News/ — This Spring, Opening Ceremony is once again collaborating with Esprit, debuting a collection which draws from the counterculture mall brand’s fresh, subversive history. Inspired by funhouse prints and sherbert stripes from Esprit’s ‘80s and ‘90s heydey—with silhouettes that will look as modern in 20 years as they would have on a Memphis Milano sofa—the collection is an icon in the making.
“Esprit and Opening Ceremony share an ethos, from our relationship with global youth culture to our insistence on diversity in fashion,” says Opening Ceremony co-founder Humberto Leon. “This collection channels that spirit.”
“We are very proud to see the collaboration with Opening Ceremony going into the second season with so much energy,” says Esprit’s Chief Brand Marketing Officer, Arnd Mueller. “The project is an inspiration. It is a fresh, modern and very relevant interpretation of the original vision of the Esprit brand.”
Paying homage to the brand’s aspirational yet democratic appeal, Esprit by Opening Ceremony focuses on mix-and-match separates in easy, versatile shapes. For womens’ wear, skater skirts, button-ups, and high-waisted shorts dominate; many feature adjustable details like knotted straps and drawstrings. When it comes to patterns, bricolage is key. Pastel stripes and ditsy florals rub elbows on otherwise simple pieces. A dress pairs a denim bustier top with a flared polka-dot-floral skirt. A pair of sky blue pants features a darker waistband and pockets.
Activewear takes mix-and-match to the next level: A racerback swimsuit juxtaposes ditsy-floral bottom and paisley-print top, while a bicycle short and top combo unite four different racing stripes: orange, yellow, pink, white, and periwinkle. Unisex logoed sweats and tees, an Esprit by Opening Ceremony staple, are back in spring hues and, from time to time, with a screen-printed daisy. Menswear brings the collection’s kaleidoscope of prints to button-down shirts and drawstring shorts. Accessories—socks, bucket hats, totes, flat-brimmed caps, and yes, fanny packs—top off the fun.
On April 27th, the Esprit by Opening Ceremony S17 collection will be available at Opening Ceremony retail stores, openingceremony.com, and in select domestic and international retailers, including Kith (US), i.T. (HK), Selfridges (London) and KaDeWe (Berlin), as well as in pop-up locations in Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Styles will retail between $30 USD for a logo cap to $250 USD for the printed crop denim jacket.
The Esprit by Opening Ceremony campaign images and videos, shot by photographer Matt Jones and featuring Coco Gordon and Arsun Sorrenti, were influenced by seminal moments in Esprit advertising and branding. In the ’80s and ’90s, Esprit worked with a host of creatives to realize its vision, from campaign photographer Oliviero Toscani, to makeup artist Francois Nars, to store architect Ettore Sottsass.
SOURCE: Esprit