Barneys New York Creates an Immersive In-Store Experience for the Holidays
Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, recently unveiled its 2017 holiday collaboration, Haas for the Holidays. The campaign, which celebrates an uplifting message of diversity and inclusion, is a collaboration with artists Simon and Nikolai Haas of The Haas Brothers, represented by R & Company. Haas for the Holidays includes Barneys New York's famed window displays, interactive in-store experiences, 40+ pieces of limited edition exclusive merchandise, and a social giving campaign. For the first time, Barneys New York will extend the holiday collaboration nationally with varying window displays, as well as immersive in-store experiences.
"The holiday season is always a special time for us at Barneys New York," said Daniella Vitale, CEO and President, Barneys New York. "This year especially, we can't wait for customers to take part in the engaging one-of-a-kind experiences we're delivering with Haas for the Holidays, both within our stores and in our windows."
Infusing the artists' signature playful creativity, Haas for the Holidays creates an imaginative universe for Barneys New York visitors from around the world. Opening on November 16, Barneys New York's Madison Avenue window displays will entertain viewers with the positive message of Haas for the Holidays' interpretation of the Earth through the ages, with Haas animations and characters coexisting through eras from the beginning of the earth to the distant future.
Embodying the theme "The Future is Your Present," the windows illustrate four phases from left to right: Primordial, Utopia, Millennium, and Mushroom Singularity. Each features Haas characters like Rainbow Baggins the rainbow zebra, Rhinona Wyder the rhino, and more. The windows are brought to life by advanced LED displays created by Christie®, which create a living background, with characters and day to night animation across all four windows. Additionally, Barneys New York stores across the country will have their own themes based on Haas designs, which will be incorporated into window displays and interior experiences.
"Holiday windows have always provided an escape from the everyday," said Matthew Mazzucca, Creative Director, Barneys New York. "We were thrilled to collaborate with the Haas Brothers to tackle complicated themes through a unique lens of playful environments and characters. The result is a fun and engaging concept that celebrates individuality, inclusiveness and love."
"Working with Barneys New York to create Haas for the Holidays has been a one-of-a-kind experience," said Simon and Nikolai Haas, Artists, The Haas Brothers. "We are excited to translate our artistic vision into experiences that will entertain and engage a whole new audience, and also shine a positive light on inclusiveness during these divisive times."
To spread the positive spirit both in its stores and on social media, Barneys New York will be debuting #HaasRules, a social media-driven campaign featuring positive and inspirational sentiments, which will be incorporated throughout Barneys New York locations and Barneys.com. #HaasRules include "The Future is Your Present," "Snake Love, Not War," "Can't Stop the Waves, Just Wave Back," and more.
#HaasRules will be incorporated into immersive environments inside Barneys New York stores. In Barneys New York's Madison Avenue flagship, each floor will feature environments that embody different #HaasRules. The fourth floor's "Boulder and Wiser" theme will feature a colorful rock garden lounge for customers to interact with, with a selfie system to take photos in the immersive space. Its Downtown store will take on the "Snake Love, Not War" theme, featuring jungle themes and a snake graphic wrapping around the iconic spiral staircase. And, the Beverly Hills location will incorporate a variety of wave motifs to represent "Can't Stop the Waves, Just Wave Back."
Starting on November 16, #HaasRules will encourage followers to share a photo of themselves within a Barneys New York #HaasRules environment, or from anywhere sharing their own Haas rule. With each post with the #HaasRules hashtag, the Barneys New York Foundation is pleased to raise awareness and provide a $5 donation for Children's Defense Fund (CDF). #HaasRules will continue through January 1, 2018.
Read the full press release here.
