Barneys New York Announces Holiday 2014: BAZ DAZZLED Holiday in Collaboration With Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin in Support of Room to Read

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, announced today the 2014 Holiday campaign: BAZ DAZZLED Holiday; a collaboration with world renowned writer/director/producer Baz Luhrmann and designer Catherine Martin. A multi-platform initiative, BAZ DAZZLED Holiday will merge the iconic visual language of Luhrmann's award winning film work with the wit and surprise of the legendary Barneys New York annual holiday initiatives.  Luhrmann and Martin, along with the Barneys New York team under the direction of creative director Dennis Freedman, have conceived a modern holiday world filled with decadent textures and fantastical characters set against the backdrop of iconic holiday concepts.

"Barneys New York has a long history of unexpected and imaginative holiday programs, and working with Baz and Catherine continues this tradition," said Mark Lee, Barneys New York CEO. "It is thrilling to see their incredible creative vision blend with the Barneys New York spirit for this unique collaboration."

Original and exclusive BAZ DAZZLED Holiday artwork by Luhrmann and Martin take you into a magical world filled with fantastical characters, woodland creatures, ice skaters, snow owls, and candy canes, along with their motto "A Life Lived in Fear is a Life Half Lived."  The artwork melds together imagery ranging from classic to the absurd, and will be brought to life in the Madison Avenue Flagship windows, as well as throughout the store.  The artwork will be featured on special Barneys New York shopping bags, gift cards and in-store displays during the 6-week initiative.

"From the earliest days of our love affair with the city of New York, we have always marveled at the way Barneys blends retail, theatre, art and narrative with irreverence and wit while nevertheless remaining accessible to its audience," said Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin.  "We embrace the opportunity of reveling in the holiday spirit by collaborating with Barneys, taking traditional holiday iconography and turning it on its head.  This collaboration is, for us, ultimately a celebratory opportunity to deepen our relationship with our adopted city of New York."

Barneys New York has worked to create a range of exclusive (XO), limited-edition holiday gift items, which will be available at Chelsea Passage on the 9th floor of the Barneys New York Madison Avenue flagship location, select Barneys New York locations nationwide, and Barneys.com. Using inspiration from the project, the product assortment will focus on luxury holiday decor and gifts such as ornaments, stockings, children's costumes and toys, table-top accessories, throws, and other giftable items.

In the spirit of the holiday season and in honor of this special collaboration, Barneys New York will donate 25% of sales from all BAZ DAZZLED Holiday products to Room to Read, a global organization that seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

ABOUT BARNEYS NEW YORK
BARNEYS NEW YORK (Barneys) is a luxury specialty retailer renowned for having the most discerning edit from the world's top designers, including women's and men's ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and gifts for the home. Barneys' signature sense of wit and style is manifested in its creative advertising campaigns, original holiday themes, and celebrated window displays. Founded as a men's retailer in 1923 in downtown Manhattan, it became an international arbiter of high style for both women and men in the 1970s, renowned for discovering and developing new and innovative design talent. Today, Barneys New York operates flagship stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Scottsdale along with a preeminent luxury online store, Barneys.com, as well as 21 other stores and outlets across the United States. For more information about Barneys New York, please visit www.Barneys.com and explore its luxury content site, The Window, for an insider's look into the Barneys world: a behind-the-scenes visit with exciting designers, fashion, events, and the Barneys team.

ABOUT BAZMARK
Multi-award winning director, writer, producer, music producer and visualist, Baz Luhrmann along with Oscar-winning production and costume designer and producer Catherine Martin, are partners in their company, Bazmark Inq. Bazmark Inq has produced projects that have captured popular and critical imagination with a diverse range of projects ranging from film, opera, theatre, music, multimedia and events.

ABOUT ROOM TO READ
Room to Read is a global organization seeking to transform the lives of millions of children in Asia and Africa by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, Room to Read works in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and to ensure girls have the skills and support needed to complete their secondary education.  Since 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of nearly nine million children and aims to reach 10 million children by 2015. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.  

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SOURCE Barneys New York