LONDON — Art and fashion collide.
Coco Capitán is taking her distinctive artwork to Charles & Keith, where she has collaborated with the brand on a capsule of two androgynous pieces.
She has taken over the brand’s logo with her signature font script rather than her photographs.
Charles & Keith’s signature Perline penny loafers have been scribbled with text reading “Loves Me Blue, Love Me Blue Not.”
“I wanted the shoes to feature one of my pictures of olive trees, which are so characteristic of the Tramuntana, the mountains which surround the city where I live,” said Capitán, but ultimately she “decided to go with a piece of text and talk about flowers growing in asphalt and my blue daisies, as I felt this was a message that most people would find easier to relate to.”
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The collection evokes a sense of childhood games and romanticism.
The black top handle tote bag is decorated with wildflowers on one side and the other with prose about wildflowers growing in concrete.
“It seems incredible to me that nature still manages to grow in big cities, despite how difficult we make it … For me, this is an observation that carries hope within it. Every time I see a flower growing in a crack of concrete in the pavement I am reminded of the strength of plants and nature,” said Capitán of her creative decision.
A two-piece capsule is a rather unusual selling point, but this partnership is a test of whether Charles & Keith can break into the European market.
The brand launched in 1996 and has since accumulated over 600 stores worldwide, with the Asian market being their biggest.
In 2017, Capitán launched a capsule collection with Gucci which debuted during Milan Fashion Week with her famous aphorisms such as “I want to go back to believing a story.”
Capitán has a loyal following that’s invested in her art form.
“I work when I have to work, and I wait for inspiration to find me in the process of working. Waiting for inspiration is a bit pointless, because I cannot possibly know when is the right time. Ideas come and go, the work that you produce is the only thing that stays. It is more about discipline than anything else. Some of the things you make will turn out good, others, not so much,” said Capitán.