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The Terminal 2 ‘Mix It Bar’ serving up denim-inspired cocktails to customers | |
Brooklyn-based denim designer Loren Cronk made a special appearance last month at DFS Changi Airport as part of a launch promotion for the new Absolut Denim.
Cronk, a celebrated figure in the street fashion scene, collaborated with Absolut to create a form-fitting denim skin for the brand’s iconic bottle. Absolut Denim, a limited edition travel retail exclusive, made its global debut in March when it launched across all DFS store locations in Changi Airport – before rolling out in selected international airports worldwide.
The week-long campaign that ran from 24-30 April saw Cronk setting up shop at DFS’s Changi T2 store in a specially designed workspace, complete with an Absolut branded sewing machine. Customers can personalise their Absolut Denim sleeves here: each sleeve comes with a sewed on badge individually numbered and signed by Cronk, alongside their names.
The promotional space also included a film featuring an interview with Cronk and mixologists showing their skills, as well as footage from the streets of Brooklyn and the Loren Cronk flagship store.
The campaign also featured Brooklyn bartender Daniel Sabo, who served tailor made Absolut Denim cocktails at the T2 store’s ‘Mix It Bar’. The names of the cocktails were inspired by the art denim craftsmanship: Disco Jean Fizz, Vintage Cape Codder, North Side Double Stitch, Collins Night Flare, Slim Jim Salty Dog, Caipiroska Slim Fit, Bloody Mary Cowboy, Raspberri Rickey Dye, Skinny Fit Sour, and 5 Pocket Vanapple Cosmo.
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Casual Friday came early for the DFS Changi and Pernod Ricard Asia Duty Free teams as they dressed down in denim jeans for the Loren Cronk appearance |
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Loren Cronk at his Absolut branded work station, equipped with his very own sewing machine |
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The Moodie Report’s Melody Ng with Loren Cronk at Changi |
Speaking to The Moodie Report, Cronk said he was “stoked” to join the long list of artists to have worked with Absolut since the 1980s, starting with Andy Warhol. “I am thrilled and totally honoured to have my name on that list. I have always been impressed by how Absolut has worked with different artists and how they’ve made that a focus for their brand – that is something I appreciate, and I wish more companies would actively seek out creative people [the way they do].”
Cronk has worked for Levi’s and Ralph Lauren, subsequently launching his own lines and now runs the labels Soldier and Brave and BLKSMTH as well as his eponymous line Loren.
Describing the Absolut project as something that was “totally new” to him, Cronk said: “I have done small collaborations but nothing with a major company like this – and nothing that wasn’t part of the apparel or clothing business. I think it’s pretty unique, and the experience so far has been great.”
Take a behind-the-scenes look at Loren Cronk’s work and the making of Absolut Denim |
Cronk took the basics of denim construction and put those details into the design of the denim sleeve, opting for a more traditional style of a deep blue indigo denim and a red-orange thread colour. “I have always appreciated a design that has longevity,” he explained.
The Absolut Denim sleeve also features high-tech functional qualities. On the inside, the denim skin has a neoprene shield with a supreme cold-preserving capacity – taken straight from the freezer, the Absolut Denim skin is able to keep liquids cool for up to two hours.
The denim skin also has a QR code which, when scanned with a smartphone, takes the user to the online portal Drinkspiration by Absolut, a cocktail-making resource.
Absolut Denim is available at DFS Changi for S$27 (US$21.90), and will be on-shelf through July 2013.
Brooklyn bartender Daniel Sabo demonstrates how to make Absolut Denim cocktails |
