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At Frieze New York, which ran from 17 to 21 May, fashion and beauty brands were out in full force. Some, including Prada, ready-to-wear label RTA and skincare brand Dr Barbara Sturm, partnered directly with Frieze; others took advantage of the circus being in town to host unofficial events. There were pop-ups, collaborations, talks and product launches, as brands navigated different ways to capture the attention — and spend — of wealthy art lovers.
The fashion set has long flocked to fairs, including Art Basel, which draw a wealthy crowd — one that brands want to get in front of. Even visitors that are there to browse, not buy, are potential customers. “If you’re looking at art, or you’re buying art, or you care about art, chances are you care about other aesthetic pursuits,” says art historian and writer Sarah Hoover. “You’re most likely interested in fashion, and if you’re going to this, you’re most likely going to a bunch of other cultural events where you need clothing to wear.”
This has ramped up as brands have diverted post-lockdown marketing budgets into activations and experiences, Hoover adds. “Those [experiences] related to the arts feel really unique and stick in an audience’s mind more,” she says. “The people going to Frieze are looking to consume culture, whether it be fashion or art.”
Brands have amped it up at Frieze New York this year, says the fair’s commercial director Emily Glazebrook. “There is more demand for fashion brands to work with us than there is capacity for us to do that,” she adds. “It’s a tough choice choosing who we want to work with.” The goal is to partner with brands that enhance the fair experience — be it within Frieze New York’s venue, The Shed, or in and around the city.
It’s a two-way street — the art world has long overlapped with fashion. “They’re not foreign territory,” says Christine Messineo, director of Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze New York. The Met’s Costume Institute is a glaring example. Art auction houses often have departments that deal with luxury items, including handbags, watches and shoes. Alex Bass, founder of art advisory and design firm Salon 21, references Sotheby’s contemporary department appealing to “hypebeast” culture. “They want them to start collecting art. If you can draw them in with a sneaker, maybe they’ll understand that they can put their money towards something a bit more long-lasting. Someone that’s going to buy this hypebeast Nike sneaker [might buy a piece by contemporary artist] Murakami.”
“Frieze art fair brings together a global, discerning clientele with a keen interest in luxury, beauty and wellness who always want the best of the best,” says Dr Barbara Sturm’s eponymous founder. “Be it skincare-ingredient science, garment construction or their art collection.”
Standing out from the crowd — and joining a new one
It’s valuable for brands to position themselves within the context of art, historian Hoover says: “It can boost their perception as being intellectual and serious.”
Certain art fairs can give better visibility than fashion week, which is oversaturated, says RTA’s creative director Robert Liptak. “Everyone is competing for the same thing; events overlapping and getting lost in the mix.” The brand launched its new artist initiative, RTA Collective, at Frieze with a performance piece by artist and movement director Sigrid Lauren in partnership with Frieze Studios.
“Fashion is subject to this absolutely gruelling calendar that’s based on marketplace and sales,” Hoover adds. “It’s very different in the art world.” Because of this, designers have more freedom with how they want to engage with the week. Brands can also ensure it’s less cost-exhaustive than a fashion show.
Still, art fairs can also be crowded. At an event like Miami’s Art Basel, for example, if you’re not a big name like Chanel or Prada, it’s hard to stand out. Frieze New York — a newer player, which launched in 2012 (Art Basel started 10 years earlier in 2002) — offers brands more empty space to attach themselves to.
Several brands took advantage by hosting fringe events — termed “off-Frieze” by Glazebrook. Designer Marie Laffont collaborated on shoes with artist Marc-Aurèle Debut. Danish shoe brand Ecco partnered with design studio Crosby Studios and French food collective We Are Ona on an event. Nike and art gallery and online marketplace Strada launched Strada Athletics Club with an inaugural “art run”.
By showing her collection at Soho’s Palo gallery, Laffont brought together a crowd of artists and designers in town for Frieze. “It was very ‘art group’, which I love,” she says. “More than just influencers or press.” In an effort to further bridge fashion and art, Laffont plans to release iterations of her shoes with Debut as part of her Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
Ecco’s appearance was a surprise one; the Danish shoe brand is known for comfort over luxury. This week was an effort to change that. “Ecco is currently going through an evolution, and as we begin this new era of reinvigorating our brand we’re focusing on building communities with likeminded people who share our passion for design,” CEO Panos Mytaros says. “Frieze is a great time for us to connect with creatives and give more context to the Ecco lifestyle.”
Tapping art’s clientele
Like Ecco, RTA is undergoing a rebrand, Liptak says, and the launch of the collective at Frieze is “to show the new RTA to a new clientele”. Founder and CEO David Rimokh adds: “We’re elevating, trying to reach more of a demographic that’s in line with Robbie [Liptak] and I, to showcase ourselves as emerging creatives.” Ecco is also seeking to tap a new “modern” consumer, Mytaros says.
While Frieze’s opening day caters largely to seasoned art collectors there to buy, throughout the rest of the week, the fair draws a different crowd, Glazebrook says. “It’s people who are just starting to collect, or people who are into art but aren’t buying — that’s an audience that’s very attractive to brands.” It’s also an audience that will be posting to social media.
Salon 21’s Bass adds that Frieze patrons are already in a buying mindset, even if they can’t afford the art on display, so brands are smart to position themselves in this context. “Because a bag that’s $2,000 — though still [largely] unattainable — is more affordable than a painting,” she says.
As Frieze expands globally, it’s a way for brands to dip their toes into new markets. The fair’s latest destination, Seoul, is a major opportunity for fashion, Glazebrook says. Last year, Frieze worked with Saint Laurent and Chanel and both are returning this September. “Because we’re a big international event, it gives [brands] an opportunity to reach the audience that we bring in a way that maybe it’s been harder for them to do before,” she says.
A step further
The best approach for brands appearing at Frieze? Go beyond optics and collaborate with artists in an authentic way. “It doesn’t work when a brand slaps an artist’s design on top of something that already exists,” art historian Hoover says. “It has to be a true creative partnership.”
Prada hosted a series of talks during Frieze this week called “Possible Conversations”. The brand provided the space, but the focus was on the artists. “Those are moments to celebrate artists outside of the fair,” Glazebrook says. It was about having the right people in the room, she adds, to introduce the artists to Frieze’s audience.
The goal of RTA’s collective is to boost emerging talent across the arts — be it performance, visual, culinary or otherwise. “It’s about working together with the artists, rather than just doing something with art,” Liptak says. Each artist will choose the next artist to be showcased, who will then work with Liptak to tie their piece to the collection it’s timed to.
Laffont and Debut’s process was a collaborative back and forth. The shoes were inspired by Debut’s work, and Laffont then sent the artist her designs (based on her existing shoes); he created the physical products.
For its own brand partnerships, art must be at the core, Glazebrook says. Looking forward to the Seoul edition in September, as well as inviting big-name global partners, the fair plans to tap local Korean designers as partners. “It feels important when Frieze is coming in as a big international event, to make sure that the local community can benefit from [us] being there.”
Hoover hopes to see fashion and beauty brands become more involved at the non-profit level. “There are so many arts non-profits based in New York that operate all over America. To have brands support those would be incredible,” she says. “And, it would allow them to tap into a whole new base of talent.”
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