Desigual. Supporting artists like you since 1984
Desigual. Supporting artists like you since 1984

Desigual. Supporting artists like you since 1984

We’ve reopened our Herald Square store with a large mural on its façade by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel. A tribute to multiculturalism, art and colour from Desigual to New York City.

23/12/19

27 November 2019, New York – During rush hour, more than 9,000 people cross the corner of Sixth Avenue and 35th Street in Manhattan. A façade measuring over 450 m2 now towers above the junction to remind them all that they live in a city which embraces multiculturalism. A city that loves color, lives for difference, and knows that art is for each and every one of us. This new façade belongs to our store on Herald Square, which also doubles as our headquarters in the United States.

Our challenge as a brand is not only to design products, but also experiences and moments that inspire creativity. As we believe in the power of difference, we want to inspire multiculturalism. But since we also believe in the power of love, we enjoy giving gifts as big as this one. This is our fourth façade design since opening our legendary store in 2011 on one of the city’s most iconic corners, not far from the flagship Macy’s store. By jumping head first into this new chapter of creativity and using it as an artistic platform, we decided to tell the story of the future of this city.

 

A new statue… of multiculturalism

In November 2019, we asked Okuda San Miguel and his team to swing from the façade with close to 2,000 spray cans. As a result, a New Statue of Liberty was born, but this time it looks after every culture in Okuda’s imagined version of the city. In its hand, this Statue of Multiculturalism is holding the “Bible” of street art: Subway Art (published in 1984, the year we were born) by Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper, a close friend of Okuda’s. It was thanks to this book that NYC’s subway and mural art became known to the rest of the world, thus building a subculture that is still thriving today. But this Statue doesn’t stand alone: through a world of textures, Hindi and Arabic typography, colors, prints and hybrid characters made up of animals and elements of the city, this Santander-born artist is telling us a story about diversity and street art.

 

Art, creativity and color in any way, shape or form, even among the Kaos

Alongside artist Okuda San Miguel and elrow’art (the concept created by elrow and Okuda’s team, Ink and Movement) we’ve begun touring the world with Kaos Garden. This celebration of art will soon be stopping in Miami for Art Basel (6 December); New York; Madrid, to coincide with ARCO and many more destinations that we’ll unveil as we go. Many of these celebrations coincide with international art fairs, the perfect place to celebrate the experiential side of art from a different perspective. With this initiative, we continue to further our aim of supporting the art world and young talent, as well as inspiring and awakening the creativity within us all, so we too can become artists.

 

Desigual in the United States: a relationship that’s turning 10

We arrived in North America back in 2009 through the multi-brand channel. Today, we are present in every major city with our own branded stores. New York, Miami, Orlando and Las Vegas all play host to Desigual, and our plan is to continue providing gifts, activations and events that remind the locals of these cities that we embody fun, art, color, creativity and diversity.

 

About Okuda San Miguel

Okuda San Miguel is geometry, 21st century art and color. This multifaceted artist rediscovers the universe, existentialism and even infinity through geometry, pop surrealism and recreating classic artworks with street art. The Spanish artist and citizen of the world has experimented with painting, sculpture, urban art and design. He is best known for creating large format works with polychrome figures. At the beginning of his career, around 1997, he worked on railways and abandoned factories, and today he has created such important works as Kaos Temple, the skate church in Asturias and the New Mona Lisa in the suburbs of Paris. He has painted large-format works in America, Asia, Africa and Europe. @okudart

 

About Desigual

Desigual is an international fashion brand that was established in Barcelona in 1984. It is famous for the individuality and unique character of its creations, which aim to bring positivity and authenticity to thousands of people who want to express the best version of themselves.
The company currently has a workforce of over 3,700 employees and is present in nearly 90 countries through 10 sales channels, over 500 branded stores and six product categories: Woman, Man, Kids, Accessories, Shoes and Sport.