Beauty and art go hand in hand to build precious objects through design, talent and good taste since time immemorial. The umbilical cord that unites the two disciplines is elastic and is attentive to social impulses to adapt to its moments. Like everything that surrounds creativity, it is multifaceted and serves its inspiration on a plate on a round trip highway that connects ideas, images, textures, experiences and a certain way of understanding beauty through art.
Artists who put their talent at the service of big brands; firms that promote the work of different entrepreneurs; unpublished collaborations… The search for timeless beauty has different accents but it is usually found along the way. Many artists collaborate with brands to complete marketing campaigns graphically to make them different, eye-catching and successful.
“The way of showing the products is different, it can be more surreal, more fun, the scales vary and some capsules can be the size of a head to attract attention; In perfumes you can integrate the ingredients, cut them out, paste them to make a composition,” explains designer and architect Pilar García-Ferrer (@pilsferrer).
Her collages for leading brands such as Zara, Chanel, Armani or Elizabeth Arden, to name just a few beauty brands, have their own stamp. Some leave her more room than others, which have very marked lines, “but in general they leave me a lot of freedom,” she says. “Making different illustrations for each brand is a challenge,” she summarizes. Since 2015, when a giant canvas for Rabat on Serrano Street catapulted her work, his style has been evolving, combining digital techniques with analog collages with more volume to get closer to 3D.
Cosmetic products can be the best showcase to discover the work of entrepreneurs who create their own company to pursue their passion. Elizabeth Arden x Entrepreneurship has already collaborated with different projects, linking the purchase of some of its reference products with the gift of her work.
There has been a little bit of everything, from Cristina Oría's artisanal jam, to the earrings from Le Touquet, a brand founded by designer and architect Paula Canellada; a limited edition clutch from Zubi, a company created in 2012 by Elena and Mercedes Zubizarreta; the Molecot glass, a Limoges porcelain brand with handmade pieces… The initiative makes sense, because Elizabeth Arden was a tireless business woman. She shared with modern entrepreneurs the “excitement, sacrifice and passion” that, according to Cristina Oria, “is the perfect recipe to carry out a life project.”
Estée Lauder and Messika, the Parisian fine jewelry brand with a modern touch, know diamonds. The first celebrates them with its Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Skincare Collection line and the second by working on them with its unique craftsmanship. Together they launch a limited-edition collaboration that attracts attention: “It will captivate a new generation of young and future luxury connoisseurs,” says Anne Toussicot, managing director EMEA at Estée Lauder.
“Whether we talk about the brilliance of the diamond or the radiance of the skin, there is a common desire to celebrate women,” says Valérie Messika, founder and artistic director of Messika. Exclusively designed Messika X Estée Lauder packaging is available on two iconic Re-Nutriv products. The star piece is a special edition gift box that doubles as a jewelry box with a selection of products from the Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond collection.
Museums open up to new perceptions of beauty and authentic treasures are found in their shops. At Thyssen, the Burning Rose perfume, by Carolina Herrera, has exclusive packaging inspired by the work Flowers in a Glass Vase on a Marble Table, by Anna Ruysch.
The Maison Guerlain on the Champs Elysees in Paris turns 110 years old and celebrates it with the rebirth of its turtle bottle – the delay and slowness of the works made it its emblem – which Baccarat once again interprets. It is handmade and you can see a translucent shell decorated with relief motifs that evoke scales. There are only 32 pieces for collectors and their price is 25,000 euros.
Since its inception, La Prairie has pursued its vision of timeless beauty through the prism of art. The meeting with the artist Niki de Saint Phalle, very fond of the cobalt blue that identifies her Skin Caviar, was one of her turning points, but the Swiss brand has become stronger with its association with Art Basel, one of the most artistic platforms. important in the world, and support for exhibitions such as Mondrian Evolution. With it he culminated his two-year commitment to the research and conservation project of 4 fundamental paintings by the master of abstraction.
Wrapping and packaging can be the perfect canvas to explain a story that literally dresses a product as art. Special editions – the unexpected or surprise that the poet Baudelaire associated with beauty – are always expected and collected. Towards the Horizon, was Clé de Peau Beauté's story last Christmas, based on an underwater heroine who directs her destiny toward a radiant future.
“I found the inspiration for this collaboration in mermaids. “Exploring underwater worlds, filtered sun, and kaleidoscopes of different colored creatures and plants helped me create the ethereal scenes, and listening to ocean-inspired soundtracks while getting lost in my watercolors contributed to the dreamlike feeling I wanted to depict.” , explains the American artist Katie Rodgers, who signs the work. Known for fusing magic with nature, Rodgers created different scenes for different products using a mix of watercolors, pastels, liquid gold, pearly flakes and glass beads.
The Icelandic artist Kristjana S Williams is the one who describes the visual history of the fictional characters in Portraits, by Penhaligon's, with her lines with a modern vintage feel. The illustrated boxes of these perfumes are those that are not thrown away (the bottles, with their sculpture-caps, also ask for passage in the display case). Their latest collaboration with the brand is Portraits Scent Library, a selection of ten fragrances from the collection with occasion of the Chinese New Year.
