Sotheby's launches fashion collection

International auction house Sotheby's has launched a streetwear collection with Highsnobiety, as part of the media brand’s pop-up concept with Selfridges.

The limited-edition Sotheby's ‘Old Masters’ streetwear collection includes T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies featuring highlights from Sotheby's Masters Week auctions in New York, combining masterworks from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to contemporary design.

The aim of the collection is to introduce pre-Modern-era artworks to new collectors, and the streetwear line includes works such as 16th century Netherlandish School panel of a skeleton draped in a billowing white fabric, Dutch artist Matthias Withoos’ Still Life with Butterflies and Lizards, An Imaginary Landscape with Allegories of Abundance and Charity from the Prague School, and Ginevra Cantolofi’s A Sea-Nymph.

David Pollack, Sotheby’s senior vice president and specialist for old master paintings, said in a statement: “We are always looking for new and exciting ways to introduce a greater audience to Old Master works of art. This partnership with Highsnobiety, whose name is synonymous with streetwear and has been at the forefront of the culture for 15 years, was an opportunity to showcase Old Master paintings as remarkably modern, graphic works of art that can be enjoyed outside their mythological or historical context.

“As masterfully composed, beautiful images, the works have a timeless quality that pairs extraordinarily well with the sleek, contemporary aesthetic designed by the Highsnobiety team. We are extremely thrilled with the results, and hope this limited-edition collection will bring an entirely new audience to Old Masters.”

Sotheby’s and Highsnobiety partner on masterworks capsule collection

David Fischer, Highsnobiety chief executive and founder, added: “Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with the most remarkable and famous works of art in history. We hope that through this partnership, we are able to introduce a new type of collector to Sotheby's, and share the exclusive Old Master Paintings collection with people who never dreamed of owning this art.

"Furthermore we at Highsnobiety always seek out to align our brand with the most iconic and best in every field, while surprising our audience with partnerships and collaborations that they would not expect every day. In that regard, Sotheby’s is a perfect fit and a brand that we are extremely proud to be working with.”

The collection has been designed by Highsnobiety and is available now at their pop-up, Co.Lab, at Selfridges Corner Shop in London until February 9. Pricing ranges from 65 euros for T-shirts to 125 euros for hoodies.

The Highsnobiety and Selfridges pop-up is a first of its kind retail concept and is showcasing curated product drops and exclusive collaborations that intersect “luxury fashion and streetwear, as well as art, technology and design”. Along with Sotheby's , the pop-up will also feature releases from Alyx by Matthew Williams, Bang and Olufsen, Moncler, Prada, New Ground Coffee and Colette, Mon Amour, a feature documentary and capsule collection produced by Highsnobiety.

Images: courtesy of Highsnobiety/Sotheby's