TOKYO, February 1, 2013 – Taking inspiration from vintage Coca-Cola vendor wear, Japanese designer NIGO®, is today unveiling a new line of menswear that reinterprets iconic work wear from the early 10th century. NIGO®, a famed street culture purveyor and former A Bathing Ape creator, is launching the collection with Japan’s most iconic boutique, Beams, under his newest label, Human Made – the successor to his highly sought after Ape collection.
The Coca-Cola x Human Made x Beams line is inspired by research that NIGO® has conducted around 20th century era industrial wear fashions, and reconstructs what “might have been” a look of the time in a modern day context. Uniquely, some pieces have taken on even more personal value for NIGO®, as the designer has pulled from his own bespoke collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia, reinterpreting some of these looks for his new line. NIGO® says of the collection: “I have been wearing Coca-Cola since back in high school – be it vintage T’s or my retro red Coke leather jacket, which is one of my most prized possessions. I was also the Japan Coca-Cola yo-yo champion back in the 80s, so this collaboration was a long time coming!”
Items that feature in the collection include a shop coat, cover all jacket, a work shirt, cap, jodhpur shorts, a sweatshirt, and four t-shirts. All items will maintain some of the details of a much loved garment, soft to the hand from many wears and washings. Brushed and weathered treatments, plus stitching true to the 1900s era, will make for truly unique and authentic pieces.
Icons such as the Coca-Cola logo from the 1910s will be reissued on items such as the shop coat. The cover all jacket will feature a chinstrap and watch pocket common to jackets of the early 1900s and will maintain the same artisan stitching as the shop coat.
Other items such as the work shirt will feature asymmetric pockets, and the cotton sweat shirt will be created on a machine rarely used in today’s design world, the loop wheel – a vintage cotton knitting machine dating back to the 30’s and 40’s.
It has been two years since the first collaboration between Beams and Coca-Cola took place in 2011 to honor the iconic brand’s 125th birthday. Beams’ role in this new project has been to bring NIGO®, Human Made and Coca-Cola together to create these new classic apparel items. Beams will also be unveiling new artwork to support the campaign, featuring shots of Beams’ CEO, Mr. Shitara modeling the new pieces, as well as NIGO® himself. Two videos which give you a look behind the scenes on the making of the collection are also being released by Beams at http://www.beams.co.jp/cocacola_humanmade/
or
available on Coca-Cola’s Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ2ZXT12ZSA and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV1UI2lKrRo.
For more than 125 years, Coca-Cola has solidified its reputation at the forefront of global youth culture. Through collaborations with world-class creative talent, Coke always taps directly into the modern aesthetic, attracting fans from all corners of the globe. Coca-Cola’s new partnership with Human Made continues this tradition by combining an iconic brand, Coca-Cola, with NIGO®, one of the most electrifying new designers.
Kate Dwyer, Coca-Cola’s Worldwide Licensing Director, comments: “We were captivated by Nigo’s longstanding fondness for Coca-Cola – both the beverage and the fashion. The fact that this new collection was inspired by the vintage fabrics and stitching found in Nigo’s own Coca-Cola collector pieces brings a real authenticity to it.”
The collection will be available in Beams stores across Japan. Internationally, it will be available in-store and online at Present in the UK (present-london.com), Haven in Canada (havenshop.ca), RSVP Gallery in the US (rsvpagallery.com) as well as online in Japan only at http://zozo.jp and http://shop.beams.co.jp.
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About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.cocacolablog.com.
Beams
Founded in 1976 in Harajuku, Tokyo, BEAMS set out to change the youth culture in Japan as a fashion leader featuring progressive designs and accessories from around the world. With an understated yet refined style suited to daily life, BEAMS has grown to encompass 125 shops with numerous brands in fashion, music, art, food and more.