Wardrobe Fueled by BMW
- Photos: www.press.bmwgroup.com
An unusual cooperation between a famous lifestyle brand and the German automotive giant makes heads turn internationally.
Just a few days after the Kith for BMW Collection was presented at the New York fashion label’s pop-up store at the end of October 2020, most pieces were sold out. The success of the Munich–Brooklyn transatlantic partnership of course stemmed from the coveted collection pieces created by Kith boss Ronnie Fieg, including scarves, T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats. But it also owed a debt to coherent storytelling focusing on authenticity.
It may sound strange at first that the blue and white Bavarian powerhouse joined forces with a New York sneaker authority like Ronnie Fieg, who has continuously developed his retail and fashion brand since 2011 with stores in New York, LA, Miami, Tokyo and London. Especially given Fieg’s claimed standard for brand partnerships: “Everything we work on at Kith has to have an authentic origin.”
The source of Fieg’s passion for BMW is deeply rooted in his personal history. “Some of my favourite memories from growing up was going to visit my grandfather and riding around in his BMWs in the 1980s. I remember he had an E21 320i and that his prized possession was an E30 M3. These moments in my life really shaped my passion for BMW, so working on this project with
them has brought everything full circle.”
It is the interweaving of heritage and credible contemporary street style that makes this collaboration special. The collection design playfully combines these sources of inspiration – and the corresponding campaign film conveys the theme during a few quick laps. In it, a classic BMW M3 E30 modified according to Ronnie Fieg’s ideas and a brand-new BMW M4 Competition chase each other around the track. Racing legend and ex-BMW works driver Johnny Cecotto is at one wheel, and in the other car his son Johnny Cecotto Jr.
That the cooperation also meant something special to BMW is shown by the logos merging into each other. For the first time ever, BMW changed its brand emblem for a cooperation partner. The 150 units of the 510 horsepower sports car BMW M4 Competition x KITH were sold out in less than half an hour. Deliveries will start in summer 2021. Meanwhile, the collection pieces are already being highly traded. A red college jacket, “Kith x BMW Wool Bomber, Size L”, was offered on ebay USA for 1,827 dollars at the beginning of February.