They say it’s the small things in life that matter the most, and for Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, that same old adage – generally resigned to whimsical greetings cards and cutesy decorations – has been transformed into a mantra to live by. In fact, it’s the basis for their art collective FriendsWithYou, which they founded in 2002, with the sole intention of spreading good vibes.
From public art installations, to Labour Day parades, to NFT collabs, the duo have dotted their anime-inspired graphics and cutesy cloud prints across all corners of the world. Today, they’re partnering with GUESS on an exclusive spring capsule collection, which Borkson and Sandoval hope will “spark a movement – an opportunity to shape our world to be a happy place, a place where everyone can be friends with you”.
It was an obvious link-up for Nicolai Marciano, GUESS’ brands partnership director, who had long wanted “to bring the world of FriendsWithYou to life through clothing” ever since they met whilst working on J Balvin’s Arcoíris tour. In fact, it was a no-brainer. “At GUESS, we’re always looking to inspire our customers,” he says. “We want our clothes to provoke a sense of celebration. We aim to get people excited not just about the product, but about their own creative expression and the fresh new perspectives of artists worldwide.”
The 81-piece capsule has been splattered with FriendsWithYou’s lovable artwork across a limitless, multicoloured, rainbow palette. Imagine half-and-half colour blocks, vibrant logo pieces, and loud accessories. Marciano explains that the capsule was built from “a combination of some archival GUESS styles and more contemporary designs”, which has resulted in an energetic smattering of pieces for a post-pandemic summer.
“It was strange to create during quarantine,” Marciano admits, “not being able to travel or have in person meetings was something I wasn’t a big fan of”. In response to this, there is a sense of connectivity and community at the heart of the collection, which looks outwards “as celebration of FriendsWithYou and the art they bring to the world”.
The FriendsWithYou capsule will be available from April at select GUESS stores globally and on the brand’s website.