Collaborations between artists and brands throughout the past 100 years have taken various forms - but the high visibility artist/brand collaborations throughout the 2000s can be summed up with the following formula: blue chip artist (represented by a powerhouse gallery) + luxury brand + sponsored VIP launch at Art Basel = elitist marketing aimed at an elitist audience drawing attention to a lack of access - for consumers, for artists, for onlookers. Think Jeff Koons x LV, Damien Hirst x Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney x Ed Ruscha, Prada x Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Sterling Ruby x Raf Simons.

Will there be a sea change as brands compete for favor among Millennials and Gen Z?

Millennials are the single largest cohort in the United States today. Our values diverge dramatically from previous generations; we are likely than any generation ahead of us to seek transparency and authenticity when making decisions on what to buy or where to work, we choose experiences over things, and we were the first generation to grow up with technology. Ellen Byron from the Wall Street Journal reflected, “[Millennials] are so different, in fact, that companies are developing new products, overhauling marketing and launching educational programs—all with the goal of luring the archetypal 26-year-old.”

We gravitate toward companies and brands that share (or appear to share) our values. And our values are not a passing trend. The generation behind Millennials, Gen Z, shares some of our characteristics, but is far more biased to action, especially when it comes to social activism. According to research from FutureCast and Barkley, Gen Z “will force brands to take a stand on the issues that matter. For this generation, silence is not golden and they will hold their favorite brands to the same standards they set for themselves.”

It’s hard to imagine that the branding of these collaborations we’ve been seeing will speak to Gen Z and the generation behind them. But there are some indications, even within the traditional formula, that things are changing. A few examples from the past few years that show we may be moving in a new direction:

1. Gucci x Ignasi Monreal - Here’s an example of a very intentional, immersive collaboration between a fashion house and an artist that, while incredible and super talented, does not fit into the same traditional category as many artists partnering with brands in the 2000s.

At the same time they were partnering with Monreal, Gucci was betting on the values of Millennials and Gen Z in the context of art - and winning. Their democratic street mural project, Gucci Art Walls, featuring a wide range of artists throughout 2017, was a social media hit and widely covered in the press. Their branded content with Artsy, focused on gender equality in the art world, coincided perfectly with the rise of #MeToo. Gucci was the Lyst Index’s “Hottest Brand” of 2017 and has experienced an “unprecedented turnaround,” up 49% YOY from 2016 to 2017, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Certainly, any fashion house that is succeeding owes a huge portion of that success to its product and creative director, but it’s worth noting that “in the first three quarters [of 2017], roughly 55% of sales were made to consumers under 35.” Which is much higher than the average Millennial and Gen Z average consumer base for luxury goods - 32%. Embracing the values of younger generations in the context of art was absolutely a factor in Gucci’s success in 2017. So by the they unveiled 8,000+ square foot mural by Ignasi Monreal in Soho in 2018, the foundation had been laid.

2. Tiffany x Whitney Biennial - Tiffany’s 2017 sponsorship of the Whitney Biennial went far beyond a typical corporate sponsorship and was centered around a collaboration with 5 emerging artists featured in the show. Each produced limited edition objects to be sold in the Tiffany New York flagship store.

The partnership shed light on Tiffany’s longstanding tradition of collaborating with artists for their windows - they partnered with Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol before the art world became what it is now - and in 2017, Biennial curators Christopher Lew and Mia Locks picked five artists to display works in the windows, who showed mere feet from Trump Tower.

While all the works sold, the flagship store was negatively impacted when Trump was elected in 2016, and riots prevented customers from safely reaching the store. The works were only sold in the flagship store; the partnership’s impact could have been even greater had works been available online or elsewhere.

There will certainly continue to be these collaborations, and there are many non-luxury brands doing amazing things with artists. Nike comes to mind, as does Microsoft, Adobe, and Pepsi (via LIFEWTR). But the above examples indicate that there are cracks in the model that sustained the artist/brand collaborations of the early 2000s - and I can’t wait to see how we continue to evolve in this more grounded, impactful direction.