KISS Shills for John Varvatos Spring 2014 Collection
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We were never ardent KISS fans, but the sight of the rock stars joining John Varvatos for his Spring 2014 collection just doesn’t sit right. And, what’s more, the washed up brand ambassadors performed the hallowed CBGB space Varvatos calls home.
Ordinarily it shouldn’t be a problem, though. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley stop at nothing to make a buck off their KISS army (KISS Kasket, anyone?). Perhaps it’s just witnessing their juvenile image co-opted by the trendy crowd. Whatever the case may be, it feels weird.
Photographer Danny Clinch shot five black-and-white photos for the catalog in Dumbo, with the Manhattan Bridge visible in the background. The new campaign also features the introduction of a slick three-minute film chronicling the surprise KISS show at the Bowery store back in October (produced by Yard). Apparently the reason for that gig was to create a music video, with the band tasked to perform “Rock N Roll All Night” four times. They scrapped that idea and played a full set.
“The idea was to do something that was against the grain, groundbreaking, and disruptive. KISS are all of the above and that’s what rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to be,” Varvatos told Ad Age.
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