Luxury accessories brand Jimmy Choo celebrated the launch of the latest collaboration JIMMY CHOO / ERIC HAZE CURATED BY POGGY Collection with a star studded event in Landmark BELOWGROUND, Hong Kong. Pulling in talents from Hong Kong including Ian Chan, as well as a long line up of celebrities including, Jeannie (kayan9896), ANSONBEAN and Kevin Chu.
Three creative visionaries. Three global capitals. Three distinct points-of-view. One iconic partnership.
Jimmy Choo announces a collaboration that fuses the unique creativity of three creative talents, the New York based artist and designer, Eric Haze, the Japanese fashion icon and guest style curator, Poggy and the brand’s London-based Creative Director, Sandra Choi.
Marrying Jimmy Choo’s modern sophistication with Haze’s gritty, urban aesthetic, the limited-edition collection will feature men’s, women’s, and unisex footwear styles in addition to bags and small leather accessories.
“Sandra saw things in my work that I may not have originally seen myself,” said Eric Haze. “This was really, truly a collaborative process.”
“I’m really excited about this collaboration because the three parts really balance out,” says Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi. “The essence of it is perfect.”
This meeting of the minds was instigated by Sandra’s close friend Poggy. Over the years their friendship has led to many organic conversations about creativity and this is a prime example of just that. Poggy thought that Haze’s work would be an exciting way to express a different facet of Jimmy Choo’s personality. Poggy acts as a curious pair of eyes that absorbs different parts of the zeitgeist and interprets how they can translate to Jimmy Choo.
This creative alliance was first inspired by a conversation between Sandra and Poggy where they shared their mutual love of the 1980s, specifically the underground music and art scenes that blossomed in downtown New York during that era.
“Once the 1980s was in my mind, it was easy for me to think about Eric,” said Poggy. “Because of his involvement in the music scene, both art and music, and hip-hop culture. Also, what I’m inspired by is classic-style fashion that was prevalent in Japan as well. So, all of that combined together is where my mind is right now with the execution for the capsule.”
It was during this period that Eric Haze, an internationally known and respected artist, rose to
prominence with his bold, graphic, non-figurative designs; they were the perfect visual expression of the raw energy that defined New York during that decade. Alongside artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, Eric Haze channeled the pulsating, visceral energy of Manhattan into art that was kinetic, exciting, and undeniably fresh. For this collaboration, Jimmy Choo was given access to Eric’s signature star motif, which is also one of Jimmy Choo’s most recognizable design insignias. Together, they reimagined this shared emblem — blowing it up, layering it, obscuring it — to create a vibrant print that has been used to decorate stilettos, driving shoes, loafers, sneakers and bags.
“We’re trying to do the magic trick of being sophisticated on a luxury level while still being historically authentic on a street level,” said Eric Haze. “It’s really satisfying to me to be part of a collection that I want to wear, that I want my friends to have, that I want to send out to every fashionable person I know.”
“Poggy’s curation has been an important fingerprint on this collection,” he continued. “Sandra and I are more instinctual as designers. My sense is that Sandra gets a feeling or a vibe and runs with it, and so do I. My sense is that with Poggy, there’s a little more intellect in terms of the curation.”
The collaboration is a perfect vehicle in which to express Jimmy Choo’s daring side that plays with the tension of unexpected juxtapositions. The unisex loafer covered in “broken” crystals has a mix of grit and glamour that is instantly recognizable as a Jimmy Choo signature. The mini tote bag, featuring Haze’s dynamic, urban scrawl, is a playful interpretation of a going out bag. Completing the lifestyle assortment, a hoodie with a hand drawn Jimmy Choo logo graphic by Eric Haze will be included, which is inspired by the reverse weave French terry style from the 80s. Meanwhile, the men’s FOXLEY smoking slipper and the women’s LOVE stiletto pump, both featuring Haze graphics, embody the confident and glamorous aesthetic of the brand.
Since 1996, Sandra Choi has been the creative director of Jimmy Choo, navigating the changing fashion landscape for nearly three decades. By working with creatives in different fields, Sandra expands the brand conversation with a broader community in an age of disruption and collaboration. “This is so exciting because I’ve got two of my friends who are here to actually discuss and exchange ideas,” Choi says. “We wanted to make sure that we have a new angle too.”
“What was great is we’re all experts in our own areas,” she continued. “And the three of us came along with our individual areas of expertise mixing, shaping and also bringing ideas to life while crossing boundaries. I think that is the essence of what this project is all about.”
Also debuting as part of the collection is a collaborative model of the cult collectable toy, BE@RBRICK by Japanese company MEDICOM TOY. The BE@RBRICK x JIMMY CHOO / ERIC HAZE CURATED BY POGGY has been rendered in an iridescent form, to reference the signature light and sparkle that is at the heart of Jimmy Choo overlaid with a fragmented Eric Haze star design that lends a modern and urban vibe.
Offered in 2 variations, a box set of 100% & 400% and 1000%, with very limited quantities making them a highly collectable artform. Register today for a chance to win a limited-edition BE@RBRICK JIMMY CHOO 1000% from the BE@RBRICK x JIMMY CHOO / ERIC HAZE CURATED BY POGGY collection, plus exclusive early access to shop the box set of BE@RBRICK JIMMY CHOO 100% & 400% and BE@RBRICK JIMMY CHOO 1000% on 16 October 2021.
LINK IN HERE: BE@RBRICK x JIMMY CHOO / ERIC HAZE CURATED BY POGGY Cut-off date: 15 October
JIMMY CHOO / ERIC HAZE COLLECTION CURATED BY POGGY will be available at selected Jimmy Choo stores globally, JIMMYCHOO.COM, 2G Tokyo, The Hall Shanghai, Landmark BELWOGROUND Hong Kong and Kith (US, Paris and Tokyo) from the 11th October.