Balenciaga Music has become a key pillar of the fashion House, having platformed artists such as RuPaul, Aya Nakamura, and Demna himself, all creating a personally curated playlist for the occasion. The latest instalment of Balenciaga Music sees the British avant-garde, electro-rock band, Archive, give us its own playlist, as well as an exclusive song.
“Balenciaga Music was created to share my favorite musical artists and their personal tastes and influences,” explains Demna, the Artistic Director at Balenciaga. “We have now expanded this project to give a more personal and complete music experience with exclusive content and interactive technology. To kick off this new chapter, we selected Archive, who made an 8.5-minute exclusive track, ‘Patterns,’ and a 7-hour playlist, each especially for Balenciaga.”
Archive’s experimental rock sounds span over twenty-eight years and twelve studio albums, and now a Balenciaga-exclusive track is added to the long list of accolades. Titled “Patterns,” the new song isn’t as easy to get as the curated playlist.
The new Archive song will only be available through a Near Field Communication chip, which has been created in limited numbers and is embedded into clothing tags. Special Balenciaga x Archive merch was made for the occasion, consisting of T-shirts and zip-up hoodies of various colours, all featuring the signature A on its front and sleeves, with more graphic detailing found on the back.
Once someone has received their merch item, they are able to scan the chip with their phones to allow for a completely unique and immersive musical experience. This doesn’t just mark a momentous event for the listener, but also for Archive, marking the first time the band collaborates with a fashion brand, and for Balenciaga, for the first time premiering music through a product. In other words, this is a step up for Balenciaga Music.
Archive founding member, Darius Keeler, stated “Balenciaga has always stood for individuality and innovation, qualities that we’ve always tried to keep at the heart of Archive’s creative process, too.” He goes on to say “So, when the opportunity came along to collaborate on this exciting project, it seemed like a perfect fit. I think the track that we’ve created is something very special.”
Head over to the Balenciaga website to dive into Archive’s playlist and discover the new merch.
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