Iconic luxury specialty retailer Barneys New York, in collaboration with the Martha Graham Dance Co. and Samsung, recently unveiled its spring campaign, Mantle.
Filmed using 360-degree camera technology, the 11-minute virtual reality short film blends fashion, technology and contemporary dance.
The film was conceptualized by husband-wife duo of choreographer Cynthia Stanley, who formerly taught at the Martha Graham studio, and director Theo Stanley of Harbor Picture Co.
The piece features four principal dancers and a chorus of eight former company members — who range in age, with some being in their 70s — from the New York-based dance company.
Mantle’s narrative is based on looking into one’s inner being by exploring character archetypes representing parts of the human psyche: Power, Ethereal, Possessed and The Cleaner.
“The central theme to Graham’s choreographic exploration is the idea of exploring the inner landscape of the human experience,” explained Theo Stanley.
In addition to the choreography and technology, fashion plays a central role in the piece.
The principal dancers embody their respective archetypes —Power, Ethereal, Possessed and The Cleaner — through cutting-edge designs of Prabal Gurung, The Row, Rick Owens and Loewe. The chorus members don clothing designed by Craig Green.
“The Barneys team did such an incredible job of matching our character concepts with specific looks while also matching pieces from five different designers that actually played off each other quite well. Not an easy task,” said Cynthia Stanley.
The wardrobe featured in the film will be displayed in the windows at Barney New York’s Madison Avenue flagship, as well as within the store at the virtual reality experience.
Beginning March 6, Mantle will be on view at all Barneys New York stores, with its Madison Avenue, Downtown and Beverly Hills flagships offering an immersive virtual reality experience powered by Samsung Gear VR, putting viewers in the center of the performance.
Customers also can experience Mantle at home through a Gear VR headset on the Samsung VR app, as well as a 360-degree digital video and traditional video on barneys.com.
