Barneys is debuting a new capsule collection with Alaïa. Image credit: Barneys
Department store chain Barneys New York is working with Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa on a new capsule collection inspired by some Alaïa’s first designs to debut in the United States in the 1980s.
The collaboration will see pieces from the collection being sold at Barneys, while the retailer's windows at its Madison Avenue location will be decorated with images and archival photos from Alaïa’s 1980s debut. Alaïa shoes and bags will also be available for purchase online through Barneys for the first time.
“Very few designers have had as long and fruitful a career at Barneys as Azzedine Alaïa,” said Daniella Vitale, CEO of Barneys, New York. “He is not part of any ‘look’ or trend—he has genuinely stayed true to his aesthetic through and through.
"His is probably the only designer collection on the market now that is centered around incredibly modern yet timeless silhouettes.”
35th anniversary
Thirty-five years ago, Barneys was the first U.S. retailer to host the designs of Azzedine Alaïa, a Tunisian fashion designer who went on to find global acclaim.
The two are celebrating the 35th anniversary of Barneys debuting Alaïa’s designs with a new collection themed around '80s nostalgia.
This collection will include several ready-to-wear pieces along with handbags and leather goods.
An archival Barneys advertisement for Alaïa in 1983. Image credit: Alaïa
Barneys will be promoting the collection with a dazzling window display at its Madison Avenue location. Adorning the windows of Barneys in New York will be vintage advertisements and promotional images pulled from Barneys’ archives featuring Alaïa’s original designs and collections from 1983.
The windows will also have the designer’s modern designs juxtaposed next to the old ones.
Finally, for the first time, Alaïa shoes and handbags will be available online exclusively through Barneys’ ecommerce platform.
Window partnership
This is not the retailer’s only recent campaign centered on nostalgia.
Barneys also explored Shawn “Jay Z” Carter’s evolution from undiscovered rapper to business mogul in an exclusive capsule collection.
The XO Barneys capsule was developed by Kareem “Biggs” Burke and Emory Jones of Roc96, a lifestyle company the pair launched with Jay Z and Blaine Halvorson, founder of Los Angeles-based brand MadeWorn. The handcrafted collection, available in men and women’s sizing, celebrates the 20-year anniversary of Jay Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt” (see story).
Before it adorned its windows with Alaïa designs, Barneys hosted a window collaboration with Lexus.
Toyota Corp.’s Lexus took its luxury performance and style to Madison Avenue alongside Barneys in a campaign that looked to tap into the summer heat.
An archival Barneys advertisement for Alaïa in 1983. Image credit: Alaïa
Barneys lent its coveted window space to Lexus for the summer in a display inspired by the automaker's LC 500 model. “Haute Pursuit” hoped to entice passersby and Barneys shoppers in an abstract way, positioned alongside new product arrivals (see story).
Barneys is hoping to capitalize on the legacy of Alaïa’s relationship with the retailer and that their newest collaboration will have the same success as their original partnership 35 years ago.
“We went back through our archives, and we found all these amazing vintage advertisements and editorial images from previous collections dating back to the 1980s,” Ms. Vitale said. “We presented the pictures, and so many of the pieces were so timeless that it wasn’t difficult to draw inspiration from them.”