As it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Zadig & Voltaire has teamed with a quintet of international artists for its new Art Capsule collection. Each reinterpreted one of the brand’s five classic items.
South Korean illustrator Core Cho redid the brand’s Tackl shirt ($428) using his signature theme of “freedom.” The brand’s wings logo is embroidered on the back of the khaki all-cotton top along with a peace sign, a skateboard, roses and daisies. “For me Zadig & Voltaire is like Paris: love, freedom and equality. Their identity and the new collections they unveil every season are a great source of inspiration,” he said.
The label’s Tunisian tee ($115) was redesigned by French artist Leo Dorfner who placed the words Let’s Dance on its front. The back of the tee sports his signature watercolor graphics including an up-close view of a couple French kissing and an electric guitar. The shirt is currently out of stock but will be available again by the end of September.
The 100 percent cashmere Markus crew neck sweater ($798) was placed in the hands of Brooklyn-based creative Dan Funderburgh who mixed references to the Renaissance and the Baroque with pop graphics from the 1980s. It features contrasting green and beige snake motifs against a solid gray background. “I imagine decorative artworks. So, collaboration is essential for me as it allows me to materialize an idea or a work into something real. Zadig & Voltaire has a knowledge of the material and a high quality of production that has boosted the potential of my work to its maximum,” Funderburgh said.
Related Story
The final two items in the capsule are accessories.
African American artist Cedric Ingram worked with the house for the second time in two years and made over the High Flash high-top sneaker model ($498) by adding a pastel sunset graphic while Chinese artist Guan Chun added a whimsical graphic of a “strange cat family” in pop colors to the Rock clutch purse ($398) in cow leather.
All the pieces in the Zadig & Voltaire Art Capsule collection are equipped with an inactive NFC tag. It activates when it is brought into contact with a smartphone. The smartphone connects to a web page which provides information regarding the product, related care instructions and an authenticity certificate. On ready-to-wear pieces it is situated on the Zadig & Voltaire label on the collar. This tag can resist unlimited machine-washing and ironing.
The new collaboration, which is sold on the brand’s webshop, follows prior ones with artists Jormi and Natacha Paschal and art gallery Galerie Perrotin.