UGG and James Bantone

The Californian lifestyle brand UGG has a long-standing history of working with cool fashion designers like Jeremy Scott to add some sparkle to their collections and has recently also investigated the art world to promote themselves. They found the very interesting Swiss multimedia artist James Bantone who started out as a fashion photographer and trained at the prestigious ECAL in Lausanne where Walter Pfeiffer, one of ACHTUNG’s photographic heroes, taught in the past from time to time. He was given a sandal from UGG’s Venture Daze collection which heavily uses green in the sole which is also a signature color for the artist. Based on Bantone’s fascination with billboards an idea was born for the Salone project – a giant outdoor advertising was put up in Milan’s Corso Venezia district which Bantone extended into a physical presentation of the artwork depicting mannequins and real model legs which sported the sandal at Spazio Maiocchi. The couch from the billboard with its exposed stitches was installed for guests to sit on and look at the artworks. Connecting private and public spaces is a key to Bantone’s work. He likes to work from original photography and then distort the images by playing with size and dimensions. Firmly grounded in the fashion world by working closely with the Australian designer Dion Lee who represents fashion’s new body con wave, he wore a beautifully tailored jacket with the new sandals to give a panel talk to explain his work which drew a sizeable crowd of design enthusiasts. UGG managed to pull off a credible artist-brand-intervention where both sides benefitted. UGG had an entry into the prestigious world of Salone and Bantone the financial support to continue his art practice which he is moving from Switzerland via Paris to New York, the city where he wants to establish himself next.

MCM home wearables

MCM is a brand which goes through creative bouts when German design meets Seoul fashion fun as is owner Sung-Joo Kim’s unifying goal for the brand. It will celebrate 50 years in 2026 and the brand has left its creative hub Berlin to add Milan to its company’s energy. And this shows more and more promising results as the Italian fashion capital adds a new layer of design aspiration to the German roots. Best exemplified with their project for the Salone Del Mobile with the design studio Atelier Biagetti which created what Miss Kim has coined as home wearables. Using the classic Cognac Visetos as backbone, there was a Tatami sofa bed, modular chairs and best of all lamp shades which can easily function as handbags. Inaugurated with a champagne fueled dinner in a beautiful Brera palazzo with an accompanying pop-up store in the basement, MCM has found a new design groove which should be promising for the upcoming big anniversary for one of the few brands born in Munich which still has global relevance.

Illy art cups 

Looking at food related developments is part of our interest with our Lebensmittel columns, and the Italian coffee company Illy also engages in activities to become a cultural company through art. Even its logo was created by pop artist James Rosenquist. We spoke to Carlo Bach who is the brain behind the company’s art cups. As a young artist he was collected by founder Andrea Illy and then invited to spearhead the company’s art endeavors which have now culminated into seasonal cup collections. Illy might be the only food company which uses the services of a creative director. Bach works on all the visual aspects of the company like advertising or as simple as how the cups look. According to Bach this is not a marketing strategy but comes from the heart of the company. Illy maintains a lot of connections with art fairs which Bach considers important moments for cities, so Frieze in London and New York are sponsored but the highlight is the Biennale in Venice where it’s an honor for an artist to be present and possibly win the golden lion – the Oscar of the art world. Being together with the Biennale is the most important thing in the world as the art there can help people to understand what is happening around the world. Artists habitats are naturally galleries, museums, art fairs and related events but Bach argues that the cup collection brings art to bars, streets and people’s homes allowing the artists to touch a lot of brains. That is something which intrigues the artists as their goal is to promote their way of thinking and create a certain brand loyalty as said earlier, keeping the clientele engaged by even launching spring and fall collections of cups. The current Biennale cup collection was created by a pure group of artists from Amazonia, Guatemala and Brazil. For Bach it was the first time he worked with people removed from the established art world but in relation with nature.

Burberry British Pavilion 

Taking their cultural activities to new heights, Burberry sponsored the British Pavilion at the Giardini with the work of Ghana born artist John Akomfrah who has a distinct political stance on racism and ecology. An incredibly ambitious and immersive visual feast with sound in several different spaces this is certainly one of this year‘s highlights judging by the long queues. The artist also generously used Burberry colorways for the expansive set design of screens.

Achtung has accepted travel and accommodation by UGG and Illy to be present at these events.