By Katie Dominy / 26-03-2009

Product/industrial design crosses into limited edition fashion.

Marc Newson and G-Star started their collaboration back in 2003 and have now successfully launched five product collections across various seasons. Newson explains how the working relationship with G-Star began. “Essentially the collaboration started because of my contact with Jos van Tilburg, his interest in my work in general and my respect for his business.”

The inspiration for this latest collaboration Newson tells us was rather close to home. “The inspiration, as usual was myself! I don’t mean that in an egotistical way, but simply that I am a consumer of clothing just like everyone else. As a designer, I don’t see why I shouldn't be able to have a direct influence on what I wear. I mean, I spend money on clothes and it’s never that easy for me (and lots of my male friends for that matter) to find stuff we like to wear every day.”

The Australian-born designer Marc Newson is perhaps best known for his industrial design - streamlined aerodynamic shapes and love of aircraft and space travel, combining the ultra-modern with a hint of comic-book nostalgia. Materials are used to emphasise their naturally dramatic qualities of shine and transparency.

This Limited collection certainly plays on these themes, with an architectural approach to designing, featuring clean lines, minimal seams and highlighting the raw beauty and high quality of the fabrics used. These range from the high-tech, with a laminated and fused Gore-Tex to natural materials - a neutral/white and dark ink/black Shearling leather, soft Merino wool knitwear and a rare wool/silk knit blend.

The nine pieces consist of a selection of jackets and a hooded knit - five styles for men in black and four for women, all in buff white. Newson explains, “I was inspired more by industrial colours – muted industrial colours.” The key piece in the range, and also Newson's favourite, is the Shearling sheepskin jacket, featuring chunky Merino wool cuffs, waistband and integrated balaclava. Hand worked details are important and G-Star commissioned the top ateliers in Japan and Italy to hand craft Newson’s designs, using a combination of traditional skills and modern construction techniques. As to special detailing – “Absolutely – specifically…lots of zips.”

“The relationship between this collection and the last is that it’s really an evolution, as you would expect”, Newson says. “We used this opportunity to streamline things and keep it tight and focused. We are constantly aware that this is not supposed to be a typical ‘fashion’ business, but rather a kind of unique limited collection/collaboration, not dissimilar in philosophy to the work I do in art galleries.”

Only 100 pieces of each style have been produced and will be available worldwide through eighteen exclusively selected retailers, including Colette in Paris, 10 Corso Como in Milan, Seoul and Tokyo, Moss in New York and Moss and Maxfield in Los Angeles. The pieces will range in price from 1,000 to 4,000 Euro and will be available from July 15 2009.

Portrait: Jan Buusa

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