Michael Kors reveals graffiti-inspired capsule

Michael Kors is celebrating New York street art of the early 1980s with a capsule collection featuring a “graffiti” logo specially created by the label’s design studio.

The 1980s seem to offer designers a near-endless source of inspiration, as the decade’s influences seem more than ever present in the fashion world. After seeing major labels bring back big shoulders, cinched waists, bright colours and oversized volumes at the recent Fashion Month, others – such as Michael Kors – are now theming capsule collections on this unique decade.

But rather than focusing on the cuts, shapes and colours of the era, Michael Kors has found inspiration in graffiti, an art form that left its mark on New York in the early 1980s. To celebrate street art, the label has come up with a special logo, which features in a new capsule collection of eight black-and-white pieces. Ready-to-wear apparel, accessories and shoes celebrate the street art of the early 1980s, and pay homage to streetstyle, which has become the ultimate fashion trend of our age.

In a news release, Michael Kors explains that he founded his company in 1981, a time when the uptown and downtown worlds collided in New York. Girls from rich parts of town would party at Mudd Club or Club 57, the designer explains, and artists like Fab 5 Freddy and Jean-Michel Basquiat had their work showing at MoMa PS1, while their tags were still found on buildings in the Lower East Side or on subway carriages. This clash of luxury and casual urban styles has now become commonplace, the designer concludes.

This MICHAEL Michael Kors capsule, which features ready-to-wear apparel, watches, shoes, beach slides, handbags and rucksacks, will be available in Michael Kors stores worldwide from July.