Yahoo Movies Juicy Couture Taps Men’s Wear Label Staffonly for First Chinese Collaboration
LONDON — Juicy Couture has tapped contemporary men’s wear label Staffonly and its duo of designers Shimo Zhou and Une Yea for its first collaboration with a Chinese brand.
The pair founded the label in London, shortly after graduating from London College of Fashion and Royal College of Art, making a name for themselves with their ironic takes on consumerism and identity geared to a men’s wear audience. They have previously collaborated with Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger for its 70th anniversary.
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But don’t expect the usual questioning of masculinity that the London- and Shanghai-based label is known for. This hookup is a retro-Americana collection of tracksuits, bejeweled miniskirts and puffer coats in saccharine tones, which was revealed on Sept. 24 and was immediately available in stores. Prices were at designer level — 3,880 renminbi, or $450, for a tracksuit and 6,880 renminbi, or $1,065, for a pink and chocolate brown puffer coat.
“[Juicy Couture] is a brand that is potentially impactful with people via sensation, [so we started] combining existing experiences and imagination,” said Zhou, whose mental image of 1970s California lifestyle from films, literature and video games became the basis for the retro diner aesthetics of the collaboration, including its communication campaign.
According to Carol Chen, co-chief executive officer of Semir Group, which owns the Juicy Couture license for Greater China, it’s Staffonly “witty and relaxed design aesthetic [and] unique experimental spirit,” applied to “inspirations from daily life” that cinched the deal. Chen added that “[their] generation of Chinese independent designers has a good international vision and at the same time understand the needs of Chinese consumers.”
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