G-Star takes on Aitor Throup as creative consultant

Aitor Throup has been named creative consultant of Dutch denim label G-Star. The designer and artist will advise the denim label on its product designs, store design as well as its marketing and communications strategies. The collaboration is part of the unique design philosophy which G-Star encompasses,

Aitor Throup has been named creative consultant of Dutch denim label G-Star. The designer and artist will advise the denim label on its product designs, store design as well as its marketing and communications strategies.

The collaboration is part of the unique design philosophy which G-Star encompasses, “with the ultimate aim of globally aligning G-Star’s continuing ethos of denim innovation,” said an official statement according to Business of Fashion. The denim label aims to bring its innovation to the forefront of its business and combine it with its store interiors, advertising campaigns and collections.

Throup first task as creative consultant for G-Star was to design their G-Star Raw Spring/Summer 2014 campaign, which features chess champion Magnus Carlsen and iconic model Lily Cole. The Argentinian designer also helped design the label's new flagship store in London that opened last December, which reflects his focus on functionality.

The conceptual store's stock room is located in an elevated glass mezzanine, that allows customers to look into from within the museum like store. The stock room is designed to be a metaphor for G-Star's transparency. “We don't mind showing you the stock room, we have nothing to hide. That in itself reflects the ethos of the brand, this raw approach to everything,” commented Throup to BOF.

"The collaboration between G-Star and Aitor Throup is a natural fit"

G-Star has announced that they are very pleased to have the designer by their side. “We have long admired Throup’s work as a designer. The collaboration between G-Star and Aitor Throup is a natural fit as we share a design ethos that is rooted in innovation and identified by 3D construction. Many of his object creations hit a chord with G-Star’s DNA, roots and design philosophy,” added Thecla Schaeffer, chief marketing officer of G-Star Raw.

Throup previously worked with Umbro and was the art director for musician Damon Albarn's first solo album and band Kasabian. In June 2012, during London Collections: Men, he launched New Object Research, his innovative product line and presented a pair of jeans with the shoes attached. He is fascinated by anatomy and attaches great importance to practicality. The designer completed his bachelor in fashion design in 2004 at Manchester Metropolitan University. Then in 2006, he obtained his masters in menswear at the Royal College of Art.

“This is what I love doing, creating the vernacular for whatever message I am conveying. I have always considered the space and the way things are presented,” added Throup. “The spectrum for my creativity hasn't changed; it is just the reach and the level of the implementation.”

Photos: Charles Moriarty via Business of Fashion, G-Star Raw Spring/Summer 2014