Photos: Guess
FASHION
Guess Tries Cute Culture With Little Cloud Line
Over the years, Guess cultivated the reputation as a go-to brand for editorial with sex appeal and star models such as Anna Nicole Smith and Kate Upton. With a new limited edition capsule collection, it is going for cute.
Scheduled to be released stateside on Nov. 5, The Little Cloud By FriendsWithYou x Guess for Nanzuka capsule is inspired by Japanese cute culture. Standard bearers for this culture such as Sanrio’s Hello Kitty have been a big deal for decades.
The new Guess line is focused on a character of Little Cloud, which is a cloud bearing a happy face. It was created by the FriendsWithYou art collective based in Los Angeles. FriendsWithYou has sold art pieces bearing the character’s image. The character made a big splash in 2018, when a 30-foot-wide Little Cloud balloon was featured in that year's Macy’s Parade.
FriendsWithYou’s work has been compared to Takashi Murakami, who has been influenced by Japanese pop culture and has been embraced by the streetwear world.
Nicolai Marciano, Guess? Brand director, said the collaboration with FriendsWithYou had been in the works for awhile.
“Over the past few years, we’ve had multiple projects featuring FriendsWithYou,” Marciano said. “Whether it’s been [a] collaboration for J Balvin and his tour, or some of our latest works in progress, the energy and aesthetics always feel unforced and complementary to each brand involved.” Retail price points range from $89 to $158.
