Throughout the decades, there have been many close relationships between luxury brands and celebrities – with many famous faces serving as muses for the world’s leading designers.
This has led to iconic creations across the worlds of fashion, film and beauty. Here, we explore three luxury brands and their celebrity muses, delving into the famous items that were born from each partnership.
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1. Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn
After their initial meeting in the 1950s, Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy became keen fashion collaborators and lifelong friends.
According to Vogue, “Hepburn once said, “Givenchy’s clothes are the only ones I feel myself in. He is more than a designer, he is a creator of personality””.
Their close-knit relationship led to the creation of many of Hepburn’s iconic onscreen looks. This includes the world-famous little black dress worn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the red chiffon number from Funny Face, and the beautiful floral gown from Sabrina in 1954.
Yet her collaboration with Givenchy didn’t end on film; the actress chose to wear his pieces for many pivotal moments in her life. On her wedding day to her second husband Andrea Dotti, she sported a stunning long-sleeved Givenchy jersey dress. She also dazzled in a white Givenchy gown at the 1954 Academy Awards, when she accepted an Oscar for Best Actress.
2. Jean Paul Gaultier and Madonna
Jean Paul Gaultier is one of the most famous French fashion designers in the world, best known for creating high fashion looks that are anything but ordinary.
His long-standing relationship with pop queen Madonna saw him create many of her incredible stage costumes, including the iconic gold cone bra she adorned for her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. She also sported his impeccably designed black satin cage jacket with fishnet tights and a bowler hat.
Many years later Madonna made jaws drop at the Met Gala in 2018, when she took to the red carpet in a statement Jean Paul Gaultier number. The gothic black gown with netted veil and cross headdress was created to celebrate the theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”.
The close collaboration between Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier saw the design of many iconic looks that are sure to go down in fashion history after the French designer’s retirement.
3. Raymond Weil and The Beatles
Raymond Weil watches are famous across the globe for fusing modern technology with classic design. Taking inspiration from the worlds of sport, aviation and music, the brand uses its Swiss expertise and innovative flair to create iconic new designs.
After working closely across the music industry for many years, Raymond Weil created a collection of limited-edition watches to honour one of the greatest bands in UK history – The Beatles.
Each watch was inspired by The Beatles’ discography, with timepieces titled Help!, Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper’s and Let it Be. They feature impressive design details that pay homage to the Fab Four, including the black dial of the Abbey Road watch that looks like a vinyl disc.
The Let it Be timepiece was the fourth and final watch of the collection, featuring a branded Beatles emblem, an impressive skeleton dial and a Roman numerical IIII at the 4 o’clock position. This contrasts the rest of the single indices and was done as a celebration of the four members of the band.
Which other celebrity and brand collaborations do you think will go down in history?