Every week, we delve deep into the Dropbox or Google Driver folders sent by brands (or as they call it, a Press Folder) to find something unexpected, desirable and a little bit off-brand. Here we have Balenciaga’s collaboration with 14-member orchestra Pink Martini.
Perhaps it is on brand for Balenciaga to diverge from its boundary-pushing fashion pursuits, and to collaborate with a polyglot music-making group that performs and creates songs in 25 languages. Given its global presence, Balenciaga is rightfully on par with the worldly repertoire the Oregon-based Pink Martini boasts; what is unexpected here is how wholesome and spirited the band’s existence has inspired Balenciaga to become with this collaboration — definitely a refreshing sight to behold from the Maison as of late.
Given Demna’s creative track record, it is also par for the course to expect the unexpected, especially with his very visceral way of expressing ideas and opinions. But this is a little different — on top of launching an exclusive playlist by Pink Martini for Balenciaga on Apple Music, the French house will also be simultaneously releasing a limited-edition collection Balenciaga x Pink Martini merchandise — all uplifting, personal and arguably the best merchandise the classical, latin, pop and jazz-playing group has had made since they came together in 1994.
The dedicated campaign of this friendship stars Pink Martini fans on a stage reminiscent of a certain talent show, wearing the limited-edition unisex merchandise, photographed by Francois Prost. The warm, roomy hoodies and long-sleeve T-shirts made of 100% organic cotton feature the Pink Martini logo, a marker-drawing depiction of an airplane circling the world, as well as a many other little nuggets of information that bring to mind what Pink Martini is at its core: references to the band’s albums Hang On Little Tomato and Je dis oui! (I say yes!); the iconic song Je neveux pas travailler (I do not want to work); and tender descriptions of the cities where each of the members of Pink Martini were raised. If United Nations needed a band, this fits quite the bill.
As a curator of music on Apple Music, Balenciage has already done this playlist-and-merch thing a couple of times before with Rammstein, RuPaul, Aya Nakamura, and Acid Arab. But never has the output been this genuinely sweet and gestural, the soft baby pinks and cream a welcome reminder of the sincerity Pink Martini has put into their art for almost two decades, as well as Balenciaga’s own creativity-driven contributions to fashion in its long and colourful legacy.
If you’re interested in Pink Martini’s 39-song playlist, the eclectic, multilingual selection includes tracks like “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen, “Samba Saravah” by French musician Pierre Barouch, and “Tango Notturno” by Polish singer Pola Negri. Even some Frank Sinatra West Side Story made it in there. Here’s to more giving partnerships that prove how nourishing an environment fashion and music can come together to create.
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