Collaboration Homework

In 2019 the fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana collaborated with Smeg on a range of appliances, each 

product has a unique design on it, inspired by Sicilian folklore, on the Dolce and Gabbana website they 

say you can now buy appliances as works of art. Each appliance has the craftsmanship smeg are

known for while the colours and patterns are very much a Dolce and Gabbana style. 

 

 

The year before they had done another collaboration of  hand painted smeg fridges and although they were

a success they were widely criticised for the price tag, they retailed at £36000. This time the prices are high 

as expected but because the items are not hand painted they are lower. An ordinary Smag toaster will cost 

you approximately £149 and these are £499 up.

The design on each piece takes into account its surfaces and the placement of the smag logo and I think the 

unique design experience of both the fashion and product designers have played a role in how well this works, 

they are really fun whilst being usable practical items. 

 

 

Customers want well designed things that go in the kitchen but they also have to work, a classic example 

of a kitchen object that chose form over function is the famous Phillipe Stark lemon squeezer, it is a beautiful

bit of design but try and use it and you will have a mess to tidy up as the juice runs down all its legs not just 

the central point. By collaborating Dolce and Gabbana have entrusted the workings of the products to a 

company with not only experience but a reputation for good working design. 

I see this as a success of a collaboration, why should usable items not be fashionable and beautiful and as 

they have the well though of quality of smeg they are practical as well.

 

 

 

 

 

The next collaboration I will talk about is more of a lifelong one between designers of different disciplines. 

Alexander McQueen worked with a variety of other designers to help create his visions and was known for

 recognising talent in others. He was introduced to Philip Treacy in 1992 by Issabella Blow who was a good 

friend to both and they worked together extensively. 

 

 

 

When Treacy talks of the design collaboration process though he says McQueen was very hand off and  was in fact the stylist Katy England who facilitated the designs coming to like. I find this very interesting as a lot of people put stylists down as surplus to requirements but in this case we would not have some of the breathtaking designs we have seen from this collaboration without one. 

 

 

Philipe Treacyy is a very famous milliner in his own right , but milliners do not get the universal fame and 

recognition that fashion designers do so working with McQueen was an amazing opportunity and I believe 

the fredom McQueed gave Treacy and pushed him to do more and better. As Treacy  once said ​​"It wasn't an 

option to disappoint him".

 

 

 So many of the looks McQueen created would not have been as striking or seemed as hunting without the 

hats Treacy created, the work of each designer complimented the other and the overall looks were ones 

the fashion industry will never forget. 

 

 

 

 The collection they are perhaps best known for was called La Dame Bleue and was in memory of I

sabella Blow, the clothes and hats worked perfectly together and the skill of each craftsman can clearly 

be seen.  Unfortunately it was one of the last collaboration the two did as Alexander McQueen died in 

2010. 

 

Every illustrated book is a collaboration between another artist and multiple decisions must be made, from

 style of bothe the storytelling and the images to the colour schemes. Most childrens books and either light

using pastel colours and bright and bold ones but the 9one I am going to look at called Wolves in the walls

written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave Mckean chose neither of these. 

 

 

Both are known for their work in graphic novels where Gaiman wrote the stories and Mckean did the 

cover art. They worked together for many years before this book came out and it is a beautiful 

combination of Gaiman's story and the mixed media style of Mckeans illustrations. 

 

 

 

McKean talks about how the only reason he got a computer to help his design and make art was because

 someone told him he could morph skulls into grave stones, and once he got one he was hooked and he

 created the first photoshopped comic covers for the comic Sandman and was chosen by Apple in 2004

 as one of their thirty key creatives representing thirty years since the launch of the Apple Mac. 

In true McKean style each image is a combination of photographs, collage paint and drawing all skillfully 

brought together so make each page a rich part of the story. 

Although  at a glance what you see in this collaboration is the design and striking imagery the story is of 

equal importance and Mckeans decision to weave the words into and around the imagery adds to the 

creepy feeling of the book. 

 

 

Giaman and McKean have been working together since 1986 on many project including the film 

Mirrormask and I believe this shows in how well the words and illustrations fit together to tell the 

story