Lipsticks,

A couple of articles I wrote for The Japan Times.

Let me know what you think.

Special to The Japan Times

Collaborations have become such a widespread fashion marketing tactic in the last 20 years that some in style circles have dubbed the practice "the C word."

Luxury fashion labels have long sought to enhance their prestige with exclusive in-store experiences. Giorgio Armani's Ginza day spa, Bulgari's jewelry-boxlike chocolate store in Omotesando and Chanel's collaboration with restaurateur Alain Ducasse at its Ginza flagship are just a few recent examples in Tokyo.

Top brands have teamed up with manufacturers on everything from cars to mobile phones and architecture. The $2.6-million Bugatti Veyron FBG sports car by Hermes is one prominent example, while Prada worked with LG Electronics on a mobile phone, and New York's Plaza Hotel is getting into bed with Fendi Casa on the 24-story luxury Carlyle Residences in Los Angeles.

But art collaborations in particular have been a successful way for luxury labels to attract customers while maintaining an aura of exclusivity, says Tokyo-based Nicole Fall, from trend consultancy Five by Fifty.

"Fashion, especially in the higher-end luxury category such as haute couture, is about making one-off, unique items of clothing and accessories that have a real message -- no different to what most artists try to achieve with their work," Fall says. Luxury fashion saw tremendous growth during the 1990s, a decade of global expansion for many labels. But with the market heading toward saturation point, Fall says brands are seeking new ways to appeal to -- and entertain -- consumers.

Chanel believes its collaborative project, the Chanel Mobile Art (currently in Hong Kong), makes the "luxury of Chanel stand apart." © TONY SZE

"By using art to convey a brand's story, art elevates what has essentially become another message lost in the increasingly foggy haze of designer labels, which are no longer exclusive or that luxury for that matter -- except in terms of their price points," Fall explains.

The Chanel Mobile Art exhibition (see sidebar) is the latest high-profile example, and it will touch down in Tokyo during the 30th anniversary of the French fashion house's arrival in Japan. The director of Chanel's fashion unit, Bruno Pavlovsky, says the traveling show is not simply a beautifully wrapped sales pitch, but a way to nourish Chanel's image as an icon of luxury. But are these aims really so different?

"We have been asked if we are doing this because bag sales are down; actually, sales of bags have never been better," Pavlovsky says. "It is about the image of the brand in the minds of our customers and of the journalists -- that the luxury of Chanel stands apart from any other brand."

Japan has long been fashion's testing ground. The demand for the latest item is relentless, and collaborations have been a necessity for local brands seeking to stand out. In the late 1980s, Japanese fashion house Comme des Garcons worked with British artists Gilbert & George in the label's famed magazine Six, while in 1993 U.S. photographer Cindy Sherman created visuals for the brand. In 1995, U.S. graffiti artist Futura 2000 created artwork for a T-shirt for streetwear label A Bathing Ape.

French luxury-luggage label Louis Vuitton's first commercial collaboration, in 2001, was a meeting of high and low culture with U.S. underground designer Stephen Sprouse. But its most successful venture has been with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, first in 2003 and again in 2005.

But art collaborations in particular have been a successful way for luxury labels to attract customers while maintaining an aura of exclusivity, says Tokyo-based Nicole Fall, from trend consultancy Five by Fifty.

"Fashion, especially in the higher-end luxury category such as haute couture, is about making one-off, unique items of clothing and accessories that have a real message -- no different to what most artists try to achieve with their work," Fall says. Luxury fashion saw tremendous growth during the 1990s, a decade of global expansion for many labels. But with the market heading toward saturation point, Fall says brands are seeking new ways to appeal to -- and entertain -- consumers.

"By using art to convey a brand's story, art elevates what has essentially become another message lost in the increasingly foggy haze of designer labels, which are no longer exclusive or that luxury for that matter -- except in terms of their price points," Fall explains.

The artist's recent "©MURAKAMI" exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles is perhaps the most frank exploration of the motivations behind many fashion/art stitch-ups.

The show includes a temporary Louis Vuitton boutique where museum-goers could purchase LV-monogrammed Murakami canvases, underlining the convergence of art and commerce in his work. It's a twist on the common hierarchy, where artists usually add their touch to a company's product, as it is often the artists who are seeking to increase their profile through such projects. The exhibition, which has moved to the Brooklyn Museum, will add new limited-edition goods on June 1.

Brooke Hodge, Curator of Architecture and Design at MOCA, says artists and labels must truly work together for such partnerships to succeed.

"Since Murakami's work has a relationship to design, I think his handbag designs worked really well," Hodge explains. "When it's a true collaboration, I think it is great and benefits both. However, when it is more about achieving prestige by associating with an artist, then I think it is less successful."

It's not only high-end brands that are getting in on the act. In April, sportswear giant Nike announced a competition for a design to feature on a pair of Nike Dunk sneakers and be exhibited at the brand's 1/1 Art of Football show in Basel, Switzerland in June 2008, coinciding with the art fair Art Basel.

Meanwhile, inexpensive Japanese clothing chain Uniqlo's UT T-shirt brand has a constantly rotating lineup of artist-designed pieces, and Japanese cosmetic brand shu uemura started collaborations in 2004 with artists such as Ai Yamaguchi and John Tremblay.

Shu uemura Global General Manager Stephan Bezy insists it is a mutually beneficial relationship. He says artists benefit by gaining an increased profile, while his team is creatively stimulated.

"We see art collaboration as a shared opportunity for the artists and shu uemura," he says. "It is an opportunity to show around the world the work of artists that we admire, and it is a natural process, as it is part of our DNA -- the art of beauty."

But with Murakami's cheeky exhibition shop playfully exposing the bottom line of such projects, it remains to be seen how much longer fashionistas can remain tight-lipped about "the C word."

Chanel has upped the cross-branding ante with its revolutionary fashion-meets-art experience, Chanel Mobile Art.

The traveling exhibition, housed in a curvaceous retro-futuristic structure by Iraqi-born star architect Zaha Hadid, comes to Tokyo's Yoyogi on May 31 after an eight-week run in Hong Kong that ended April 5. Rather than simply displaying commissioned works, the site-specific show is designed to stimulate the senses -- the 30-minute tour is an almost filmic experience, complete with an audio guide with a soundtrack and narration.

The exhibition features installations by major contemporary artists, based on the concept of the iconic Chanel bag. Bruno Pavlovksy, the head of Chanel fashion, and designer Karl Lagerfeld asked French art critic and curator Fabrice Bousteau to invite 20 artists to take part. Those selected went to Chanel's handbag ateliers in France, where the brand's famed quilted bags are fabricated, before the project started. Prominent in the selection are Japanese and French artists, including Yoko Ono, Tabaimo, Nobuyoshi Araki, Sophie Calle and Sylvie Fleury, among others.

But the star of the exhibition is undoubtedly Hadid's UFO-like white exhibition space. The 675-sq. meter "container" is a triumph of architectural innovation. Though Chanel says it weighs 180 tons, the collapsible structure is portable, much like the particular futuristic handbag that inspired it: an uncharacteristically ergonomic design for Chanel that Lagerfeld came up with in 1998.

Future stops for the exhibition space include New York, London, Moscow and finally Paris in 2010. While art and fashion purists alike may balk at the rise of such corporate collaborations, the project is an intriguing exploration of the intersections between art and fashion, an interest that was shared by Chanel founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

So. I am way super into Swedish pop music at the moment. Have been locked away writing the past couple of weeks during which I made some myspace discoveries that simply must shout from the hills about.



My new absolute favorite band of the moment consists of a group of girl high school students that go by the name Those Dancing Days. Kind of Go Go's meets Northern Soul, and its pure pop cuteness with a mean hook. I just can't these songs outta my head. The lead singer Linnea has really big hair and a crooked cute smile too!
They must be on school holiday since it looks like they are touring around Europe. If you go, please steal them and put them in your pocket and send them to me. I will pay the Fedex bill.
Just went out and bought the EP which is out on V2 records Sweden.
 
                                    www.myspace.com/thosedancingdays

















Another new discovery is a boy band called Pacific!  I am way more into my dancing girls above but wanted to make this page thematic and do a whole Swedish thing. Ahem. Continuing on...
Tahiti 80 + Air + Xanadu soundtrack. I am a die hard fan of the latter so anything that reminds me of Olivia Newton John cruising Venice Beach on roller skates in a peasant dress  is pure genius to me. The album is kind of an ode to West coast. Song titles like "Sunset blvd"  and "Poolside bungalow" make me homesick for the couple of weeks I just spent in LA at my beloved                                                            Palihouse hote in WeHo.
 
                                            www.myspace.com/musicpacific

Post-Los Angeles.
Back in Tokes to grey skies and work work work, hence no time to post the pics from the signing until now. I didnt work that yukatta for nothin': here is a look-y at the Segal SDD signing, thanks y'all for coming by. Shout out to April at Chronicle Books and the whole Ron Robinson crew.

Busy with my book signing at Fred Segal on Saturday.   Capped off the week with a small  party at Palihouse lounge in LA then back to Tokyo. 


here are some of the pics










http://www.palihouse.com/    cute lounge and nice hotel in LA, great location near La Cienega and Holloway in West Hollywood.

Dear LIPSTiCK's

Ah Los Angeles! Good to be here. I left the cherry blossoms of Tokyo behind for my book signing this weekend at Fred Segal.

Please stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

EXPERIENCE AN AFTERNOON OF FAST-FORWARD JAPANESE FASHION WITH "STYLE DEFICIT DISORDER: HARAJUKU STREET FASHION"

MEET ME,  S.D.D. AUTHOR, TIFFANY GODOY, AT RON ROBINSON / FRED SEGAL

SATURDAY APRIL 12, 1:00-3:00 PM
 
8118 Melrose Ave
LA, CA 90046
323-651-1800

Dress Code: LA vs Harajuku

Kawaii prizes to the best-dressed fashion victims
 
http://www.myspace.com/styledeficitdisorder