Written by By Markus Merk, CNN
The newest edition of D&G has just been launched in Japan – and where there’s new, you can probably find a way to tell the difference.
Made with 70% recycled materials, and covered in 10,000 tiny 3D printed handprints, the special edition is one of the world’s most in-demand limited edition items — a story which is reminiscent of Japanese firm Goodlife’s Mitobu Kids line.
As a brand famous for its unique product lines, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have long known how to strike a tone in their marketing campaigns – perhaps even before ‘Made in Italy’ became the consumer craze of 2017.
Take D&G’s most notorious line, the ‘Ghost Guest’ series. Inspired by the Ghost comic and animation series, by cult illustrator David Ichioka, it saw celebrities such as supermodel Naomi Campbell pay homage to their personal ghosts.
Similarly, for their 2011 red carpet Oscars collection, a second series called The Evolving Host was a blend of award show attendee’s Instagram photos, as well as motifs related to Diet Coke.
It may be weird, but it really is in keeping with D&G’s design-led brand ethos: complex, colourful print that details everything from spiritual themes and philosophy to letters written decades ago.
The unique micro objects – start at $66 for the 3D printed model, D&G has offered even more single items at varying levels of mystique. An early version in 2012 sold for $46,000, and later this year a larger tribute will be auctioned off on Sotheby’s.
As for D&G’s latest limited edition collection in Japan, which launched in stores in April 2017, the remarkable logistics only get more impressive.
While the collection consists of two limited edition pairs of sunglasses, “monarch” and “beach” versions, the prints have to be sewn on to specially fitted frames.
After the orders are placed, which typically reach 100,000 units per pair, demand can even exceed 100,000 orders for the 40,000-piece collection overall.
The pairings are so precise and precise, the outcome can be subject to the concept of eyeball.
“The macabre quality of these optical conceptions require an individual to be certain that the eye sees the conjured images, in the sense that in its own particular intelligence a person can hold the ear to the whispered part,” the company explains.
In other words, all eyes will see it, but only some will see it.
While the group has devoted time and money to developing ear-contact, the pairings themselves can’t be refined enough, according to Leigh McCarthy, a London-based eye expert and paralegal.
“There’s always an element of risk with these things, as you can’t control how they will look and turn out,” McCarthy told CNN.
“A few hundred pairs [of eyewear] can’t possibly look the same as the others. If you start working on nothing else, then you’ll never get these kinds of results, so you need to be on top of it constantly,” she said.
But McCarthy also isn’t concerned for the long-term future of eye-contact.
“Eye contact for me has been part of a general public persona for 40 years now, so it will be lovely to continue with it for another 40 years yet,” she said.