PROJECT DETAILS //

CREATIVE DIRECTION, PRESS OFFICE

Crowdfunding campaign set up for Hanky Collection.

BRIEF

The first Italian concept brand uniquely inspired by LGBTQ+ heritage chose the hanky code phenomenon as a main reference for its Launch Project. Four artists and designers from different countries collaborated to reinterpret the concept on an artistic level, keeping freedom of expression as a key element. To raise awareness about the project and reach as many supporters and allies as possible, Hanky Collection presents this set of limited edition items via a one-of-a-kind campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.

CONCEPT EXPLORATION

Hanky Collection creates a language for peer socialisation while remaining partially hidden from mainstream culture. It taps into Camp culture, “a vision of the world in terms of style—but a particular kind of style. It is the love of the exaggerated, the “off” of things—being-what-they-are-not” (Susan Sontag), and it targets a curious, new-normal type of customer. With that legacy in mind, Hankt Collection’s products are items of self-determination, contact, and seduction. It builds on the LGBTQ+ legacy and culture and transforms its distinctive elements into universal values of a free, open, and multifaceted community of people. What was previously kept hidden through censorship and the culture of the recent past now becomes explicit and manifest. This allows us to get in touch through the ineffable language of the senses, as well as with that of words.

The Launch Project is a journey through topical scenarios of seduction, passion, eroticism, and love. It starts with four original fragrances that aim to bring the rainbow, intended as a state of mind of openness and inclusivity, to everyone’s skin. Widening its multi-sensory approach, Hanky Collection teamed up with four incredible artists and designers who also take LGBTQ+ aesthetics as a central element.

ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS

Relationships involve sharing and collaboration, and we aim to partner with those who share values and perceptions similar to those of the Hanky Collection universe, creating something that reflects our diverse identities, desires, and passions. The enthusiastic response of these talented creatives to our invitation gives us hope that our endeavour resonates with us and others. The project starts with four collaborations designed to multiply the sensory stimulation. In his London studio, the artist and graphic designer Radek Husak produces works by juxtaposing, overlapping, and reworking photographic material produced live. Neil Secluded is the brand of the New York illustrator and stylist who transforms details of the male anatomy into almost abstract and delicately erotic forms. Bartolomé Limón is a young Spanish artist who claims freedom of expression against censorship by revealing the hidden content of the hanky code. SIRAINER is a line of kinky accessories by the Milanese designer Simone Rainer, known for his leather creations.

CREDITS

Artworks and one-of-a-kind art pieces by Bartolomé Limón, Neil Secluded, Radek Husak, SIRAINER,