Fashion brands are increasingly waking up to opportunities in the film world, getting involved in everything from production to costume design and funding. The benefit for the brands is the lasting, more elevated impression that a favourite film leaves, with the ability to recruit new fans thanks to the association. Making what viewers see in a film shoppable is still nascent — but the Oliver Peoples collaboration will put it to the test.
It isn’t Anderson’s first foray into fashion. Last year, he directed a commercial to celebrate the centenary of the Montblanc’s Meisterstück pen, as requested by the brand’s executives. Anderson took things one step further, and, of his own volition, designed a pen. Prior to that, he had directed an advert in the style of a short film for Prada.
In The Phoenician Scheme, too, Anderson tapped Cartier to create a bespoke rosary for Mia Threapleton’s Liesl. Montblanc collaborated with the director once again, designing two bespoke pens for the film: a recreation of a twenties Heritage Rouge et Noir Coral with a Serpentine Clip, and a Meisterstück 149 “50s Look”. And Edie Parker collaborated on a gemstoned lighter case and cob pipe. Like the Oliver Peoples sunglasses, only 10 cob pipes will be available to purchase (for $150).
Oliver Peoples is no stranger to film, either. Over the years, the brand has stayed close to its Hollywood roots. Since 2008, Oliver Peoples has produced a number of short campaign films, or “brand marketing films”, as it calls them. The first was Mindgames for the brand’s 20th anniversary collection, in collaboration with Hollywood producer Robert Evans (who produced The Godfather). Most recently in 2022, Oliver Peoples tapped director Eva Vik, formerly Eva Doležalová, to direct its Nineteen Sixties short film. (Not unlike how Montblanc had Anderson direct its short-film-cum-advert.)
