Music and fashion have wed yet again.
Four-time CFDA Award-winning designer Billy Reid has partnered with the musical instrument brand Gibson for a men’s and women’s fashion capsule inspired by the latter’s legendary Hummingbird guitar model that was first introduced in 1960 and has been played by rockers such as Keith Richards, Sheryl Crow and Lenny Kravitz.
The new capsule, formally named Billy Reid x Gibson Hummingbird Collection, includes apparel, accessories as well as guitar accoutrements including a strap and picks featuring Reid’s original take on the hummingbird artwork that has appeared on the acoustic ax’s pickguards for the past 62 years. Reid calls his riff on the avian motif the “Kissing Hummingbirds” and carries it throughout the new collection.
The men’s selection includes the line’s sole denim piece, a hand embroidered shirt that is a variation of the Billy Reid’s Shoals Shirt with antique brass snaps on the chest and placket. Other men’s items include a Western shirt, crewneck sweatshirt, a graphic tee, a leather biker jacket and a merino wool crewneck sweater with an unadorned front and the hummingbird design on the back. The women’s items, most of which won’t be released until the fall, include a midi-dress, a mohair-blend cardigan, a bandana tunic dress and a mohair winter coat.
The accessories are a merino wool beanie, a cotton printed bandana, a wool-cashmere scarf and a wool/cotton/nylon blanket to sit on during outdoor music festivals and that can double as a wrap.
The collection retails from $68-$1,498 and is available at some of Billy Reid’s 15 own stores in the U.S., Gibson’s standalone store The Gibson Garage in Nashville and online at both brands’ websites.
“From the influence of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to our Shindig performances, music has been at the core of the Billy Reid brand since the very beginning. I’m a big Gibson Hummingbird fan and the picture of the iconic pickguard has been on our inspiration board for many years. Collaborations like this are some are of the coolest things we get to do,” said Reid, who also is an avid guitarist. He launched his annual Shindig–a weekend gathering of his friends from the music, food, fashion and art worlds every summer at his company base in Florence, Ala.–in 2009.
Reid has previously collaborated with Levi’s, J. Crew, Coach, Neiman Marcus, K-Swiss and celebrity chef John Besh.
The Billy Reid x Gibson Hummingbird Collection’s first promotional campaign is fronted by a trio of singer/songwriters and official Gibson musicians. “Our Gibson artists Margo Price, Abraham Alexander, and Aaron Lee Tasjan naturally embody the timeless, and edgy aesthetic of the new Hummingbird collection,” said James “JC” Curleigh, president and CEO of Gibson Brands. “The opportunity to combine the iconic Gibson Hummingbird vibe into a lifestyle collaboration with Billy Reid is exciting for us, but even more exciting for our fans.”
Although this is Gibson’s first time working with a fashion designer, it’s not the first time a guitar brand has jammed with a fashion one. Only four months ago Wrangler and Fender released a collaborative collection that blends Wrangler’s Western heritage with Fender’s rock ’n’ roll one.