Back in 2011, Korean creative Hankook Kim launched his own eyewear label – Gentle Monster – that has collaborated with the likes of Hood By Air, Alexander Wang, Places + Faces, and even Tilda Swinton over its eight-year history. Eschewing traditional ideas when it comes to design, this also manifests in the brand’s stores that are more like curated gallery spaces than retail-only ones.
For its 2019 collection – entitled ‘13’ – the Seoul-based brand is rolling out not one singular campaign, but a series of chapters. For one, digital artist Frederik Heyman has created uncanny scenes featuring 3D rendered characters. For another, Rob Storey has created an installation at the brand’s London flagship store which guests can immerse themselves in, while a further series sees French animator Ugo Bienvenu create a digital campaign. Each project explores what our world might look like if an extra month, ‘Undecember’, was added to the calendar year all due to the moon tilting on its axis and becoming disconnected from the planet.
Unsurprisingly, both the images and three-part short animation show an existence where reality and fantasy co-exist. The colourful illustrations in the campaign images show characters defying laws of nature and floating through the air. In the second part of the animation, named ‘What Are Angels Made Of?’, the collection is brought to life by a group of AI-looking characters.
As for the collection itself, it features a series of glasses with a retro-futuristic edge. Tiny sunglasses are still here to stay (obviously) and come in both black and green. Elsewhere, the ‘Hammer’ and the ‘Chameleon’ sunglasses play with block shapes and the ‘Cold’ lens that appears in the animation is completely clear save for an orange line detailing the front of the frame.
To celebrate 13, Gentle Monster launched a holographic cube installation, a semi-permanent walk-on set where customers can photograph themselves wearing the new collection. This concept was unveiled at its flagship store in London with DJ sets by Neneh Cherry, FAUZIA, and Siobhan Bell and drinks courtesy of Budweiser, Cîroc, and CanO Water. Head to the @dazed Instagram account to see more.
Gentle Monster flagship store, 28-29 Argyll Street, London W1F 7EB.