This April, for the U.S. portion of the global introduction of fashion designer Iona Crawford, a multi-faceted international collaboration of artists in art, film, music, live performance and even bespoke lace-making, touched down in New York City’s Bryant Park.
The launch of Crawford’s Beauty and The Beasts Capsule Collection, was first inspired by Andy Scott’s Kelpies, the 100-ft silver metal horse sculptures newly arising from the land at The Helix at the Forth & Clyde canal at Falkirk, Scotland. Beginning with a visit to her friend Andy’s studio as the massive sculptures were just emerging, the chain of inspiration became an art collaboration spanning continents.
“Beauty and The Beasts is designed to be a rich unfolding and sharing of the artists’ experience,” notes Jade Dressler, co-founder of Slow Luxury.
“The collaborative story offers multiple entry points – sculptures on the land, art, films, music, performances, e-commerce, in-depth stories on custom fabrics and even T-shirts!,” adds co-founder Fiona Fraser.
Launching on Tuesday, April 8th, Iona Crawford’s ‘Beauty and the Beasts’ Capsule Collection was showcased at events and gatherings in the city over the course of an action packed trip.
Here’s just a selection of the ‘behind the scenes’ shots from the trip…
“The industrial, steely strength of the Kelpies horses came alive within their towering, angular NYC surrounds.
I love the city’s intense juxtapositions, contrasting layers and rich architectural diversity. The city’s creativity, like beautiful silk contrasted against a backdrop of hard-core metal, dynamically enhances the inspiration behind the collection.”
Iona Crawford, April 2014
Slow Luxury works with clients that define sustainable luxury and envisioned the full scope of Iona Crawford’s Collection introduction. The collaborative project made its appearance in New York, with a public performance and notable tastemakers wearing the Collection for red carpets, event appearances and magazine feature story editorials.
The week culminated in the Bryant Park performance, where models ceremoniously gifted the lunchtime crowd with small ribbon-tied bundles of silk containing poetry, chocolate and a #KelpiesBeauty hashtag. Set to live music, the performance ran alongside the smaller 20-foot maquettes of The Kelpies, on view during Scotland Week in New York.
The Collection also won favour for notable red carpet appearances and media features during April from VH1’s The Gossip Table‘s host, Delaina Dixon, who wore a black cashmere and leather dress to a film premiere with Mario “Cashmere” Maningham of the NY Giants; singer-songwriter Jess Domain, known for being an Aretha Franklin back-up singer, wore the collection for an upcoming feature story in Hour Detroit magazine, and actress Gemma Forbes wore the Collection’s signature long tunic in Madras lace for an event at The Metropolitan Club.
A selection of exclusive items from the Collection are available on the new Slow Luxury online pop-up shop, with the main Collection available from the Iona Crawford online store.
SLOW LUXURY 