New Looks for Metal Sounds
It’s Black Sabbath versus the mutant Iron Men.
That’s the fictional story behind Black Sabbath Resurrection, a high-end apparel collection based on the music and the style of the influential rock band Black Sabbath. It debuted Nov. 17 at the 181 Martel gallery in Los Angeles.
It’s also the tale of the creative use of licenses by Los Angeles–based Signatures Network, one of the pioneers of music merchandising, which currently handles the merchandising deals for acts such as Madonna, The Beatles and U2.
Black Sabbath is a Signatures client. The band partnered with Los Angeles–based brand-management group Romanberg Heritage Collections, producer Brian Furano and Signatures to create Black Sabbath Resurrection. The collection features hoodies, denim, leather coats, sunglasses and jewelry as well as T-shirts.
The idea for the collection started in 2005, when Furano was looking for a vehicle that would give a new style to an already popular band that had been a frequent presence on FM radio and MTV, where the band’s singer, Ozzy Osbourne, starred in the hit reality show “The Osbournes.”
In the Black Sabbath Resurrected story, members of Black Sabbath are trapped in an apocalyptic world, where they must do battle with the brutal Iron Men (a reference to the Black Sabbath song “Iron Man”). Furano, who also works as a Signatures artist-relations executive, and Romanberg founders Darren Romanelli and John Stahlberg pitched Sharon Osbourne, manager and wife of singer Ozzy. She soon pitched the story to the other members of the band, who also gave their green light.
Later, deals were made with vendors such as footwear manufacturer Converse, Japanese denim designer Anacronorm and Los Angeles–based designer Maya Yogev to help produce the collection. Retail price points are $30 for T-shirts to $3,300 for leather jackets.
The collection mixes rock and streetwear styles with some of the apocalyptic whimsy of the 1981 film “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.” It will be sold at a handful of retailers in 2007, then possibly made available in limited quantities to more shops.
Romanelli said that the Black Sabbath Resurrection concept could eventually be morphed into a film or a number of other properties. —Andrew Asch
