Looks Matter: GMC Partners With Designer Michael Bastian
Scotty Reiss
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Details shape the look and feel in both fashion and cars.
Fashion isn’t all just skinny models and luxe fabrics. It demands a fine degree of precision — in choice of color, the weight and fall of a fabric and in tailoring for the human form.
The same is true for cars and trucks: Exactness in engineering under the hood isn’t enough; getting the look, feel and form right is important, too.
To put this idea into more visual terms, GMC has partnered with menswear designer Michael Bastian to produce a series of videos that illustrate the philosophies that inform both the auto and fashion brand’s aesthetics. A series of spots titled ‘The Sharp’ spell out the parallels in design between GMC and Bastian’s designs.
OK, menswear and women’s fashion aren’t the same thing; we know that. But we wanted to share this story with you because GMC certainly has the right idea: Design matters. It impacts how you live, how you feel, how others see you. Besides, Bastian, who is newish to the fashion design world, has a luxury pedigree (and we all like that!): he was the men’s fashion at luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman before he struck out on his own in 2006.
For his own collection, he fuses his New England roots with a California sensibility; his recent collections have a Ralph Lauren-esque look of classics with a modern edge. During Wednesday’s runway show he also unveiled his first women’s wear collection, a small line that reflects the same classic feel and is dubbed a ‘capsule collection.’
To coincide with the runway show, GMC partnered with film director Arnaud Boutin to showcase the precise art of Bastian, photographer Michael Avedon and musician Twin Sharp.
In the videos, which can be seen on Youtube, Bastian discusses the philosophy behind his designs, while the ideas are illustrated in details of GMC vehicles and Bastian’s designs.
Men and women both appreciate details as well as looks and have consistently named the look of the vehicle as a top reason for purchase, according to GMC research. This made GMC’s partnership with Bastian a natural, and a smartly visual way to demonstrate the truck maker’s dedication to precision.