Music and fashion go together like, er, let’s go with the analogy of spinach dip and pumpernickel bread. They each rely heavily on each other artistically, intersecting visual art and sound for mostly commercial purposes. Of course, once in a blue moon these two creative spheres may unite for the greater good, as is the case with the new collaboration between indie music label Arts & Crafts and Canadian designer Jeremy Laing.
These two powerhouses have joined forces to create an original line of apparel, featuring design collaborations between Arts & Crafts musicians and noted Canadian visual artists like Derek Sullivan, Jessica Eaton, Sojourner Truth Parsons, Niall McClelland and Jason McLean. Each artist chose an Arts & Crafts musician to draw inspiration from and used their music to inspire their designs. The result — which is artistically directed and produced by Laing — is a unique execution that represents the work of uber-cool Canadian musicians Broken Social Scene, Feist, Timber Timbre and Dan Mangan through colour, pattern and design.
“It was fun to pair some of my favourite Canadian visual artists, several of whose works I have collected personally, with complementary artists on the Arts & Crafts roster,” says Laing, the self-taught designer who’s now become a staple within the Canadian fashion industry. “Based on similarities of approach and aesthetic, I invited each visual artist to interpret aspects of each musician’s work. The results are diverse, surprising and cool!”
These tees are typically Urban Outfitters cool, but what makes the $75 price more justifiable than your average UO fare is that 100 percent of the profits raised from the unisex collection will then be donated to MusiCounts, whose mission is to ensure that children in Canada — regardless of socioeconomic circumstances and cultural background — have access to a music program through their school.
The collection is a limited-edition release and, in true Canuck style, will be available online and at select Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada, beginning Monday, May 6.
Images via Arts & Crafts
