Swatch teams up with art-driven toy and lifestyle brand, Kidrobot, to create a collection of eight new Swatch Gents, each accompanied by a complimentary Dunny.
Dunny is Kidrobot’s iconic and highly collectible bunny-like vinyl toy that serves as a customizable canvas for artists.
Eight artists have contributed to the new collection, each with a characteristic design for a Gent and its accompanying 3-inch Dunny.
These are: Spanish-born artist Frank Kozik, who made his name by creating full silk-screened posters for various legendary rock bands of the ‘90s.
Kozik rose to the challenge of collaborating with Swatch by creating a bright yellow Swatch-Ski Instructor, which shows a mustachio’d white Dunny with hard, black eyes. The Dunny comes in both a 3-inch and a 20-inch version.
Dividing his time between New York and Bondi Beach, Jeremyville is an artist, product designer and author of international repute.
In addition to writing Vinyl Will Kill in 2003 (the world’s first book on designer toys), he has exhibited in the US, France, Beijing and Italy.
Jeremyville’s design for Swatch features a character named Ibbity Pop, also featured in his forthcoming book, The So Far Away.
He explains: “The story is about a lost pet being in a different part of the world, and a different time zone. So a watch is a perfect product to release, relating to the time differences in the story.”
Jeremyville’s Swatch is appropriately called “Swatch-The So Far Away.”
With over 13 years experience as an illustrator and toy designer, Kansas-based Mad boasts an impressive résumé filled with collaborative projects for global brands as well as promotions, packaging and character designs.
Always busy, he constantly develops unique toys, T-shirts and art.
“With all the craziness being thrown at us in the world, sometimes words aren’t enough,” explains Mad, about his new designs for Swatch.
“Sometimes you just need to scream. This design pulls elements from my various illustration artwork and transforms it into an all over pattern that we can all relate to at times.”
“Swatch-Shout Out” reacts in a wordless but expressive protest to the craziness of the world around us.
Born in Toulouse, France, Tilt has been a self-confessed “graffiti fetishist” since his teens, daubing his debut tag on a skateboard ramp, before subsequently making his mark on local trains and streets.
Now based in New York, his paintings derive influence from his extensive travels, and routinely feature “bubbly” curvaceous forms inspired by his love of beautiful women.
Tilt’s design for Swatch “illustrates the lyrics of a famous French rock band from the ‘80s called Telephone — the story of a man who wants to go to NYC with the girl he loves.”
Tilt’s work for Swatch is called “Swatch-Love Song.”
“Taking one of the coolest characters from my Gamma Mutant Space Friends, Carina the 3-Eyed Space Kitty, and putting her on the watch was a perfect fit to me,” said New York-based artist Tara McPherson.
Famed for her internationally exhibited work, which continuously explores people and their quirky ways, the characters she paints exude stylized innocence combined with steely wisdom.
McPherson is a successful illustrator and poster artist, whose highly collectable gig posters have further ensured her cool credentials.
Her creation, called “Swatch-The Eyes are Watching,” presents a pensive and observant space kitty.
Russian-born artist and designer SSUR© (real name Ruslan Karablin) is also based in New York, where his work has been well received since the late 1980s.
He cites “responsibility, respect, tolerance, justice and peace” as his recurring creative themes. He drew further topical inspiration from “politics and protest, current events and camouflage patterns” when realizing his concept for Swatch.
All of these elements find expression in his evocative “Swatch-Tic Tic Boom.”
Fashion, toys, magazines and TV have long-been rich sources of inspiration for pop culture-obsessed artist Gary Baseman.
Both his raw-yet-playful illustrations for Cranium and the Emmy-winning Teacher’s Pet have unleashed this L.A-based talent’s otherworldly and humorous aesthetic into the public consciousness.
For Swatch, Baseman cites his self-created character of The Midnight Magi as a catalyst: “The Midnight Magi is always in the shadows, restraining your darkest nightmares from destroying your sweetest dreams.”
Baseman’s Swatch is called “Swatch-Midnight Magi.”
“Taking an iconic Swatch Watch and turning it into a lovable character was a challenge and a great thrill,” says L.A. artist Joe Ledbetter.
Having worked as a graphic apparel artist, Ledbetter began honing his distinctively mischievous and upbeat painting style in 2003.
Influences typically include classic animation, graphics, trips to the zoo, nature documentaries, and his two cheeky pet cats.
He has exhibited his work extensively in prestigious galleries around the globe. His “Swatch-Bengali” is characteristically light-hearted.
Watch for the launch of the new Kidrobot x Swatch collection this Sept. 17 at the Ronac Art Center. After which, the collection will be available at Swatch stores.
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