[MAC promotional images taken from MAC and collaged by me.]
This is what it feels like when one of your favourite fashion designers collaborates with one of your favourite make-up brands: Gareth Pugh for MAC. I'm expecting black, black and more black and I can't wait til November for the release of this collection.
Well, technically it's the second time I've felt like this about a make-up project, but the first occasion was a disaster - when the supremely talented Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte were due to unleash a MAC line, I was also incredibly excited, but things went utterly tits-up. Whether deliberately or naively, Kate and Laura Mulleavy decided to name products in their range after a town in Mexico, Juarez, which had lost many women in tragic and violent circumstances. The resulting uproar caused MAC to release a statement and donate money to the cause of helping Juarez residents in need. I don't know how anyone ever thought that a nail varnish could possibly be named after a town synonymous with rape and murder, but obviously several execs didn't have a problem with it.
Anyway, onwards and upwards. Gareth Pugh is famous for his amazingly architectural clothing and his use of materials such as rubber and perspex. He worked for the English National Youth Theatre, and there is an obvious thespian twist to many of his pieces, which exude confidence. The colour palette, as you know, is essentially black and white, which means that you can really focus on the design of an item. I find Pugh's work to be exemplary of the 'fashion is art' mindset, as he seems to care more about the clothing and shows than actual commercial success. Obviously the MAC collaboration will alter this as he is exposed to the world of mass market cosmetics, but it will be brilliant to see his aesthetic attitude being given this platform. I will definitely be saving my pennies for it - just don't let the head honchos at MAC approve any more insensitive names. We don't want another Juarez incident.
Well, technically it's the second time I've felt like this about a make-up project, but the first occasion was a disaster - when the supremely talented Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte were due to unleash a MAC line, I was also incredibly excited, but things went utterly tits-up. Whether deliberately or naively, Kate and Laura Mulleavy decided to name products in their range after a town in Mexico, Juarez, which had lost many women in tragic and violent circumstances. The resulting uproar caused MAC to release a statement and donate money to the cause of helping Juarez residents in need. I don't know how anyone ever thought that a nail varnish could possibly be named after a town synonymous with rape and murder, but obviously several execs didn't have a problem with it.
Anyway, onwards and upwards. Gareth Pugh is famous for his amazingly architectural clothing and his use of materials such as rubber and perspex. He worked for the English National Youth Theatre, and there is an obvious thespian twist to many of his pieces, which exude confidence. The colour palette, as you know, is essentially black and white, which means that you can really focus on the design of an item. I find Pugh's work to be exemplary of the 'fashion is art' mindset, as he seems to care more about the clothing and shows than actual commercial success. Obviously the MAC collaboration will alter this as he is exposed to the world of mass market cosmetics, but it will be brilliant to see his aesthetic attitude being given this platform. I will definitely be saving my pennies for it - just don't let the head honchos at MAC approve any more insensitive names. We don't want another Juarez incident.
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