The 47-piece collection includes pieces for men and women as well as select children’s styles. Prices range from $14 for socks to $148 for a varsity jacket. It features bright and pastel colors with graphics including hearts, swirl stripes and clovers that define the collection’s playful vibe.
GUESS X J BALVIN
GUESS Partners With J Balvin Once Again for the Amor Collection
GUESS Originals, a collection by the Guess brand, has released a new collaborative collection with musician J Balvin inspired by his “The Boy from Medellín” documentary. The GUESS Originals x J Balvin Amor Collection ties into the GUESS DNA of graphics and elevated fabrics while featuring an emphasis on J Balvin the person and his journey dealing with mental health.
Balvin and GUESS first met in 2017 and began discussing the possibilities of a collaboration shortly thereafter. The iconic California–based company and the musician share similar interests across fashion, art and much more and, after developing a personal relationship, decided to collaborate after understanding how compatible Balvin’s global voice is with the brand’s global presence. The collection features messages of “amor y paz” (love and peace) and is intended to be a revival of happiness and positivity and pushes especially for self-love.
“With José’s voice and our platform, we felt like it could be very meaningful to push positive messaging. He has always been about being positive since we’ve worked together. We’ve expressed that through the past few collections with color, but this time we wanted to make a more literal statement. The more awareness the better,” said Director of Brand Partnerships & Marketing and Creative Director of Guess Originals Nicolai Marciano.
Balvin has long been an advocate for mental health and wellness after opening up about his struggles with anxiety and depression. In addition to helping destigmatize mental health in the Latinx community, Balvin is set to launch his own bilingual, interactive mental-wellness app, OYE, in the fall of 2022.
“Through my own journey with mental health and wellness, I was inspired and committed to bringing resources to more people around the world. With OYE, we have created a community-focused platform that will provide engaging and accessible emotional-wellness practices for all,” said Balvin. “Everyone’s health journey is different and deeply personal. We wanted to not only encourage and allow people to prioritize emotional and mental health but also provide diverse opportunities to the global community to build their own worlds of wellness in creative ways.”
The 47-piece collection launched May12 and includes pieces for men and women as well as select children’s styles. Prices range from $14 for socks to $148 for a varsity jacket. It features bright and pastel colors with graphics including hearts, swirl stripes and clovers that define the playful vibe of the collection.
The men’s portion of the collection features a new take on the classic GUESS cargo pant with a relaxed fit and elevated twill fabric. Core pieces were enhanced with vibrant graphics to fit the overall capsule theme. The women’s portion of the collection features a variety of graphic shirts, swimsuits, tops and matching sets. Brightly colored accessories and crochet tops and dresses lean into the summer theme featured throughout the collection.
“The Amor collection is a very personal expression of José’s style. It’s a lot more focused and refined than the past collections we’ve done just based on the evolution of the relationship. Really fun and vibrant colors, positive messaging, comfortable fabrics and fits,” said Marciano.
The director of the campaign video, Colin Tilley, said that “collaborating with GUESS was a dream, collaborating with José is always something special, and combining them both for this epic campaign is one for the books! We wanted to celebrate togetherness.”
GUESS and J Balvin previously teamed up for a collection inspired by his album “Vibras” in 2018. Merchandise was made available at J Balvin concerts and at GUESS stores located near show venues before being made widely available in early 2019. The Vibras collection marked the brand’s first-ever celebrity campaign to feature a male of Latin descent as the face of the campaign. The collection was followed by the Colores collection, inspired by Balvin’s album “Colores,” which also included men’s and women’s pieces as well as kids’ for the first time.
Photos courtesy of GUESS.
