Smiley unveils SS20 collab with Manish Arora

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 26, 2019

Smiley linked up with Manish Arora on Thursday for the latter’s Paris Fashion Week presentation with the pair collaborating on a collection that pays homage to LGBTQ+ communities.

Arora fused his usual street-meets-couture edge with a range of traditional Indian craft methods including embroidery, appliqué, and beading. But the ‘hero’ of the collection was a Smiley decorated with the rainbow colours of Pride. It was seen interspersed alongside the word Love and the heart symbol, in Arora’s favourite colour combo, pink and gold. 

Michaela Fass, VP Fashion at Smiley, said: “Manish’s clothes are always out of the ordinary, and his message of inclusivity and diversity is something close to our hearts at Smiley. Manish’s interpretation of our Pride Smiley sets a benchmark for some of the partnerships we have lined up next year, that will salute the LGBTQ+ communities.” 

Fashion weeks have come a key forum for labels to unveil specific collaborations that are designed to grab headlines as well as consumer interest. At their most extreme, that could mean a massive collection like Tommy x Zendaya that Tommy Hilfiger showed in New York earlier this month.

But on a smaller-scale, there’s also the Yoox x Stella Jean capsule that the YNAP-owned e-tail brand debuted as part of Jean’s Milan runway show.