Highsnobiety to curate retail concept with Selfridges

Luxury department store Selfridges is partnering with streetwear blog Highsnobiety to showcase what they are calling a “first-of-its-kind” pop-up concept that will feature curated product drops and exclusive collaborations.

‘The Co,Lab.’ retail concept will intersect “luxury fashion and streetwear, as well as art, technology and design” and will occupy the Selfridges corner shop from January 6 until February 9 and has been designed with a multi-faceted, modular design, where evergreen sections provide a backdrop for changing display that can be customised to accommodate the “high-profile” collection releases weekly.

“Our partnership with Highsnobiety will be the first curation of its kind at Selfridges. 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,” explains Selfridges executive buying and merchandising director, Sebastian Manes in a statement. “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.”

The first product drop on January 6, features a collection of limited edition Highsnobiety merchandise created in support of the release of Colette, Mon Amour, a documentary that explores the last days of the retail location closing, which was also co-produced by the brand.

The capsule collection designed by Highsnobiety in collaboration with Colette’s co-founder, Sarah Andelmann, will also be available to buy in-store and online on both Selfridges.com and highsnobiety.com.

Highsnobiety to launch capsule collections with Colette, Alyx by Matthew Williams, Sotheby’s, Prada and Maison Margiela for Selfridges pop-up

David Fischer, chief executive and co-founder of Highsnobiety, added: “This partnership was 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.

“We are continuing to challenge the way our audience interacts with unique collaborations and prestige brands, and we are excited to bring this to life through a collaboration with Selfridges.”

Following the Colette collection will be the release of Alyx by Matthew Williams on January 13, featuring two collaborations. The first is an exclusive pre-release with Bang and Olufsen and the second with Moncler.

Other collaborations will be with Sotheby’s, which will see the auction house making their first key move towards a new generation of culture-obsessed art collectors, with a co-branded ‘Old Masters’ collection of graphic tees and hoodies on January 20, and Prada will release a ‘The Co.Lab.’ inspired capsule collection, available from January 27.

The final collaboration announced will be with Maison Margiela on February 6. The partnership between the avant-garde French couture house and the street culture brand will feature a limited selection of essentials including ready-to-wear, shoes, and accessories, all available in black or white, inspired by various iconic Maison Margiela pieces, embodying themes and codes introduced by creative director John Galliano.

The Selfridges and Highsnobiety partnership is part of the luxury department store’s ‘Happy New Decade’ campaign, where the store will be focused on making shoppers “laugh, enjoy and reset” for the first three months of the year. As well as ‘The Co,Lab.’, there will be playful and uplifting windows to brighten up Oxford Street with colourful designs, abstract shapes and oversized motifs such as jelly, a rainbow and a series of giant stress balls.

There will also be ‘Happy New’ products including Pantone 109 styles from brands such as Victoria Beckham and Rick Owens, as well as pop-up edits from the “brightest, boldest and best in fashion,” like Martine Rose, Acne and Maisie Millen, and a Trolls customisation bar from Fyodor Golan.

Image: FashionUnited