What’s the deal with all the Keith Haring collabs? The FT has the answer to all my questions here (pay wall), looking at the legacy of Keith Haring as an activist and accessible artist who coined the phrase “art is for everybody”. The company responsible for the never-ending list of collabs (Uniqlo, Primark, Junya Watanabe and Coach among them) is Artestar. The licensing agency also represents photographers, designers and creatives, and its success highlights the merchification of culture in the modern age.
But this latest Haring collab isn’t just a print slapped onto a tee. The AKILA x Keith Haring collaboration is a range of optical eyewear that lets you cosplay as the bespectacled artist himself. The arms have ‘hands’ that mimic Haring’s own playful drawings and the lenses have a discreet logo too. Available in two frame shapes, a pop-py colour palette and fairly affordable at £140, they’re suitably on brand.
It’s all further evidence of our desire to embody our favourite artists and a continuation of the trend for turning famous artists into cute avatars.
The AKILA x Keith Haring collection will be live at AKILA on Monday 20th March.
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: AKILA x Keith Haring
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