Selfridges and Highsnobiety link for unique curated collaboration

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 6, 2020

Media brand Highsnobiety has linked up with Selfridges for what it says is a “first of its kind retail concept”. The two have created The Co.Lab, which set up home in the retailer’s high-profile Corner Shop as of January 6 and will be there until February 9. It features curated product drops and exclusive collaborations with labels such as Prada, Colette and Maison Margiela.

It said the collections featured are “at the intersection of luxury fashion and streetwear, as well as art, technology and design”.

The multi-faceted, modular space will be customised to accommodate the weekly collection releases and Selfridges’ Executive Buying & Merchandising Director Sebastian Manes said the partnership “will be the first curation of its kind” at the store. 

It’s an undeniably interesting project and the first drop this week features a collection of limited edition Highsnobiety merchandise created in support of the release of Colette, Mon Amour, a documentary that was also co-produced by the brand. It was all designed by Highsnobiety in collaboration with Colette’s co-founder Sarah Andelmann and will be available in the store, as well as online at the Selfridges webstore and on Highsnobiety’s own site.

And given that Selfridges recently opened its cinema, it’s taking advantage of the opportunity to further boost awareness of the collab. There will be exclusive screenings there of the documentary.

Future collaborations in the next few weeks will include the release of Alyx by Matthew Williams on January 13. Alyx will feature two collaborations for The Co.Lab, the first being an exclusive pre-release with personal audio specialist Bang & Olufsen and the second with luxe outdoor fashion brand Moncler. 

On January 20, auctioneer Sotheby’s “will make their first key move towards a new generation of culture-obsessed art collectors”, releasing a co-branded Old Masters collection of graphic tees and hoodies.

Then Prada will release its exclusive collection inspired by the collaboration on January 27, and Maison Margiela will round out the event with a launch on February 6. This will feature a limited selection of essentials including ready-to-wear, shoes, and accessories in black or white. The company said the capsule "will revisit various iconic Maison Margiela pieces, embodying themes and codes introduced by creative director John Galliano”.

And as with most launches these days, there will be a sustainability element too with the opening of “an ethical and sustainable coffee shop pop-up” called New Ground. Highsnobiety said this combines “a love for great coffee with a passion for social justice, the brand offers training and work opportunities for ex-offenders, helping them develop a long term and sustainable career for the future”. The pop-up will offer an exclusive Selfridges blend in specially designed coffee cups and will be open from 7.30am daily.

Sebastian Manes said that “Highsnobiety’s unique position as a cultural aggregator and authority, and its multi-platform, multi-disciplinary approach has unlocked the next-level of brand collaboration. This is an opportunity for our customers to engage with a project via digital and social elements, by film, by art, by a need-to-see space and of course by world-class product reinforces our feelings of positivity, optimism and energy for 2020 retail.”

Meanwhile, Highsnobiety’s CEO and co-founder David Fischer added that the link-up felt like “a natural fit, as Highsnobiety is leading the way for a new type of storytelling and digital curation of products. Selfridges truly understands how to curate and tell stories within a physical space.”

The marketing of this series of collaborations includes PR, but given that Highsnobiety is a media brand, it will also promote it heavily through its own online "story-driven editorials” that will “work to enhance the storytelling of each collection, and to internationalise the project, inviting Highsnobiety’s global audience to participate”.