Annual Sprite Street Couture Showcase
When an invite to the First Annual Sprite Street Couture Showcase
arrived in our mailbox, we were confused. A fashion show to celebrate
the rebirth of the Sprite brand, with a new bottle and an ad campaign?
What exactly would the participating steetwear labels—lines like
Rocawear and Triple Five Soul—be featuring? Bottlecap bustiers? Gowns
in a come-hither shade of lymon? The whole event sounded peculiar,
about as odd as using Rocawear to sell more Sprite and Sprite to sell
more Rocawear. But in a final press release, Sprite's Group Director,
Don King, connected the dots for us: "Emerging fashion, hip-hop music,
and authentic street culture have been part of Sprite's DNA for nearly
two decades. By bringing together five fashion companies with distinct
styles for the first Sprite Street Couture Showcase, we are celebrating
the brand's roots in a fresh, contemporary way."
Well, all right. Just as long as it's part of Sprite's DNA. One can
picture the ol' conference room where this deal was inked, the Sprite
marketing execs whispering the lusty S-word—not sex, but synergy—and
savoring visions of the new Sprite bottle in the hands of rap's latest
and greatest. One could hate, but really, it's time to marvel at the
marketing wizardry.
So we went last week, and we can tell you that Kanye West is just as
excited about the new Sprite bottle as you. The national relaunch of a
soda that had been on the market forever didn't seem like a watershed
event, but Kanye, Missy Elliot, and AJ Soprano (Robert Iler) were among
those who made an appearance. We couldn't see them past the flashing
cameras and mass of bodies at Guastavino's, where the event was held,
but Sprite swears they were. Across the runway from us, boxer Lennox
Lewis managed to squeeze his massive frame into the tiny gray plastic
seat with 10 times more grace than we did. (Don't ask us why the former
world heavyweight champion garnered a crappier spot than Farnsworth
Bentley.) In other news, James Marsden (Cyclops from the X-Men)
looks exactly like that too-hot guy in college who nobody gets to sleep
with, the one with the plastic-surgery-perfect schnoz.
We had fears the Sprite logo would be plastered across the breasts
of models as they stormed the catwalk to "I Like the Sprite in You,"
exclusive DJ AM remix. But the event really was a bona-fide opportunity
for Rocawear, Triple Five Soul, Etnies, WESC, and LRG to feature their
Fall 2006 collections in a proper fashion show. This was streetwear in
the hands of dream stylists: Rocawear showed a fur-lined denim jacket
paired with zebra-print stilletto boots, hot pink bomber jackets with
matching patent leather high heels, and Nanook of the North furry
boots; Triple Five Soul put Top Model's Kim Stolz in a printed gray
hoodie long enough to double as a dress, and dressed mohawked models up
in Fair Isle sweaters; WESC (short for We are the Superlative
Conspiracy), a Swedish clothing line started by surfers and skaters,
accessorized its current collection of flouncy spring dresses with
leggings and colorful cinch belts.
But the night really belonged to LRG, the southern California brand
favored by rappers like West and Just Blaze. The focus was on the
company's new women's collection, pieces clearly not intended for the
shy: skintight overalls, denim short shorts meant to ride up; camo
zip-up dresses, and jeans with rhinestone-studded pockets all made a
noticeable appearance. Mid-segment, music video director Coodie (the
mind behind West's "Through the Wire" and "Jesus Walks" videos) stormed
the runway with video camera in hand. The event closed out with the
fierce-looking Dominican supermodel Omahyra (Arclight in the latest
X-Men) and Sports Illustrated swimsuit favorite Jessica White flanking
one satisfied-looking male model in a green LRG jacket.
It was all so engaging that we almost forgot about the night's
corporate sponsor—until the lights flashed green and the Sprite logo
popped up on video screens.
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