The success of Hublot’s artist collaborations
Ricardo Guadalupe (left) with Richard Orlinski and one of his ‘Wild Kong’ sculptures
Luxury Swiss watchmaker Hublot is letting artists design their timepieces, and their customers and collectors love them. Rachael Taylor examines a new trend in horological branding
Hublot chief executive Ricardo Guadalupe was ?on a skiing holiday in the exclusive Courchevel resort in the French Alps when he spotted unusual sculptures rearing out of the powdery white slopes. The giant faceted animals, including a howling wolf, a chest-beating gorilla and a bright red Tyrannosaurus rex, were the work of contemporary French artist Richard Orlinski, and this chance encounter with a mountain-top menagerie would go on to inspire a surprise hit for Hublot. Follow LUX on Instagram: the.official.lux.magazine
?Maybe Hublot was surprised, but I wasn?t,? laughs Orlinski, commenting on the success of the first watch he designed for the brand. ?I don?t know if I have talent, but with my eyes I can see what people see. I?m a mainstream guy. When I like something, a lot of people like it.?
Indeed, Guadalupe has described the demand for Orlinski?s Hublot watches as ?unbelievable?, and impossible to fulfil. The collaboration first started in 2017 with the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski, a polished titanium skeletonised model with a sharply faceted case and bezel that mirrors Orlinski?s iconic sculptures. The Swiss watchmaker, passing creative control to an artist for the first tim...
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