Prada & James Jean

In 2008 the luxury italian brand Prada worked with the Illustrator and Cartoonist James Jean to create a Spring/Summercollection. In the history of Prada it was a novelty. Over 100 pieces were made which did not only limited on garments and accesoires, but also shoes and bags.

The classic Prada bag shape combined with James Jeans beautiful fairy illustrations. The models seem to me very well chosen as well as the make up. It makes them look very magical and mysterious.

Jean was even asked to design a wall design for the from Rem Koolhaas conceptualized store in New York, as well as the backdrop for the runway of the collection in Milan.
He was also involved in a short-animation movie 'Trembled Blossom' which was done by the director James Lima and a team of specialists who created a Motion-Capture-Techique for it. A dark fairytale in which the creatures turn into Pradas products out of James Jeans aquarelles he drew for them.

Personally I think the movie is almost scary in a way because the animation is very stiff and not human. The black eyes of the protagonist increase this feeling of creepiness. I really like the aquarelles James Jean did in the movie but in my opinion it does not match Prada as a brand.