R.E.M And Paul Smith Create ‘Automatic For The People’ Capsule Collection
Renowned British fashion designer Paul Smith and R.E.M. are to produce a capsule collection of special products to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the acclaimed Athens, Georgia band’s landmark album, Automatic for the People.
To launch the collaboration, and mark the release of the remastered deluxe version of Automatic for the People, select members of R.E.M. will visit key Paul Smith destinations including London, Milan and New York.
The capsule collection of limited edition products includes delicately woven scarves, silk pocket squares, canvas tote bags and graphic T-shirts. Playing on Paul Smith design signatures of bold colour and photo print, the graphics within the collection make use of the Automatic for the People album artwork, famous song lyrics and promotional photos of the band taken by another of the band’s long-term collaborators, Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn.
An exclusive run of screen-printed posters featuring the renowned album artwork have also been produced as a limited and numbered edition.
“I’ve known and been a fan of R.E.M. for a long time,” said Paul Smith. “I’ve always particularly enjoyed Michael’s haunting vocals. The band is a very imaginative and artistic group of people, which makes them such exciting creative collaborators.”
Speaking of the collaboration, Michael Stipe explained: “We’re thrilled to work with Paul Smith, Anton Corbijn’s photos, and my lyrics from Automatic for the People to create something very 2017. “
Nottinghamshire native Smith is well known for his quality tailoring, which he has referred to as “classics with a twist”. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to British fashion in 2000, while his previous collaborations have suits designed for the football team Manchester United and a collection for UK-based boutique cycle clothing retailer Rapha to celebrate the Tour de France.
The Paul Smith & R.E.M. collaboration will launch on 10 November 2017 and will be available to purchase from key Paul Smith shops worldwide, including London, New York and Paris. In addition, items from the collection can be purchased online from the designer’s website.
The deluxe 25th-anniversary edition of Automatic For The People will be released on 10 November. Scroll down to read the full tracklist, and order the release here. Explore our dedicated R.E.M. Artist Page.
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