Jay Z’s Holiday Collab With Barney's New York

There’s just something about New York City. It’s been immortalized in literature, in movies, in music. It’s got an attitude, a style, an ethos that’s impossible to imitate. We’d like to say we’re this city’s greatest fan (it is our home, after all), but Barneys New York is certainly not alone in its fervent admiration of NYC. Shawn ‘JAY Z’ Carter—born and raised in Brooklyn, rarely seen without a Yankees cap, composer of a little song called “Empire State of Mind”—has an equally passionate relationship with this place. So who better to partner with for a holiday event honoring New York?

Introducing “A New York Holiday,” an unprecedented collaboration celebrating the spirit of the city. As part of this event, Barneys New York and Mr. Carter have partnered with some of the most prestigious fashion houses in the world—Balenciaga, Balmain, Lanvin, The Elder Statesman, En Noir, Hoorsenbuhs, Just Don (coming soon!), Proenza Schouler, Rick Owens,Stutterheim, Acne Studios, and Cutler & Gross—to create exclusive, limited edition products inspired by New York City in a color palette of black, white, gold and silver. One of my favorites: Rock Star Chic: The Dark Side of High Fashion as an exclusive offering at Barney's limited to only 250 numbered copies. This book is a visual journey of over 300 photographs with fashion’s most cutting-edge photographers, designers and stylists exposes the ominously beautiful obsession with the bad boy aesthetic and reveals what draws us into the darkness, providing a daring testament to the love affair with the gloomy, sultry side of Rock ‘N Roll.

Beginning November 20, the products will be available in the BNY SCC Gallery, an immersive space dedicated to the partnership between Barneys New York and Shawn Corey Carter.

Part of the exhibition will be our new title “With this project, Barneys New York and I were able to take the slickness, energy, and innovation of New York City and translate that into quality, timeless pieces,” said Mr. Carter. “Everything that encompasses ‘A New York Holiday’—the items chosen, the amazing designers that participated, the windows, the design of the BNY SCC Gallery—represents a perfect example of a unique and groundbreaking collaboration that I hope demonstrates how inspiring New York has been to me.”

In addition to the exclusive collection, Barneys New York’s iconic Madison Avenue windows will host an interactive holiday installation conceived by Mr. Carter, visual artist Joanie Lemercier and Barneys New York Creative Director Dennis Freedman, utilizing innovative technology from Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. to uniquely incorporate video mapping, LED light design and projection into the display.

“We are proud to honor our home, the great city of New York, this holiday season—and there is absolutely no one better to collaborate with on this project than the New York born and bred Shawn ‘JAY Z’ Carter. He is a groundbreaking musician, a pioneering entrepreneur, and the ultimate creative collaborator,” said Mark Lee, Barneys New York CEO. “We look forward to capturing the energy of New York, and merging the vision of Shawn Carter and the style of Barneys New York in this unprecedented holiday event.”

In the spirit of the holiday season, Barneys New York is proud to donate 25 percent of sales from “A New York Holiday” to the Shawn Carter Foundation, a New York-based charity which awards post-secondary scholarships to students facing socio-economic hardships. A forthcoming launch event (details to come, but trust us when we say this will be big) will also benefit the foundation, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

BNY. NYC. SCC. No matter where you are, it’s going to be a New York holiday…

Via Barneys