Barneys New York will partner with Shawn Carter, the entrepreneurial musician known professionally as Jay Z, on a 2013 Christmas promotion called “A New York Holiday.”
As reported in Women’s Wear Daily, Carter will collaborate with several luxury designers and brands to put together a collection of limited-edition holiday products. Among the participating labels are Lanvin, Balenciaga, Balmain, Proenza Schouler, Rick Owens and Moncler.
The store will be called BNY SCC Gallery (for Barneys New York and Shawn Corey Carter).
The promotion will run from November 20 through Jan. 3, 2014, at Barneys flagships in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Beverly Hills, Calif. A quarter of all sales will go toward Jay Z’s Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
A 1500-square-foot installation on the third floor of Barneys’ New York flagship store will be a self-contained gallery showcasing the collection. The retailer has recruited video artist Joanie Lemercier to produce a show that will be projected 360 degrees on the surfaces of the enclosed shop.
“It was important to keep the color palette for the campaign simple and representative of our vision of the New York City skyline at night,” Barneys creative director Dennis Freedman told WWD. “In sitting and talking with Jay and Joanie together, we were able to take our abstract concept and actualize it within our store. The immersive environment we’re creating in the store and in the windows reflects a shared design perspective with direct inspiration from Jay’s life.”
Special window displays will be unveiled on November 20 at the Madison Avenue store, coinciding with a fund-raising event for the foundation co-hosted by Barneys and Jay Z.