Few lucky bands have the appeal, the wide audience and the awareness that the Playboy’s logo has.
The reason behind this success can be found in three elements: it’ simple, immediate and transversal both for age and gender. It’s creator, Art Paul, who was also Playboy’s first art director, said that when he drew the logo he couldn’t expect such a huge success. Hugh Hefner declared that he chose the bunny both for the sexual meaning and because it’s a fresh animal, shy, vivacious and sexy, while the tuxedo bowtie was added because Payboy wasn’t just a “nude magazine,” it also had some elements which gave it an air of class, professionalism, and mystique. Their target was a modern gentleman and they were encouraging a sophisticated life defined by free expression.
This truly iconic image embodies the prestige and sexiness that Playboy wanted to convey. What it’s interesting anyway, is how this logo became a symbol for many women, who buy licensed products and merchandising with the bunny on it. It could sound a little strange if you think about the Playmates like a mere object of sexual desire. But this is exactly the point.
This week two new Playboy’s collaborations will help us to understand better the phenomenon.
The first that got a bunny makeover is the British lingerie brand Coco de Mer, which we already mentioned for the collaboration with the V&A museum.
Lucy Litwack, CEO of Coco de Mer, declared that when last year they collaborated with Pamela Anderson, she told them that Playboy was her university and contrary to how it’s portrayed, everyone treated the girls like queens and it was a very safe environment. This empowerment Pamela felt made Litwack take the decision to partner with Playboy, as she felt the two brands shared the common intent to champion female empowerment and project a more playful and glamorous image.
The collection, that aims to be more commercial than the Coco de Mer main line and to court a different consumer, includes bodysuits, playsuits, slips and other lingerie and nightwear pieces. Some of them feature a playful red lips and hearts bespoke embroidered motif. Others are embellished with pom-poms that echo bunny rabbit tails.
Lucy Litwack said that for this capsule she drew inspiration from Playboy’s extensive archive and from the Fifties pin-up look.
The second collaboration launched this week, is with the Los Angeles label The Hundreds. If intimates has a close relation with Playboy, this lifestyle collection is poof of the wide range of values that the men’s magazine embodies.
The Hundreds X Playboy is a celebration of the iconic Playboy logo, flipped to look like a hand raising the peace sign. The Hundreds intent with this capsule is indeed to highlight the brand’s ethical missions with a collaborative peace-themed capsule. Remembering Playboy’s legacy as the iconic brand at the forefront of the Sexual Revolution that directly challenged the conservatism of the ’50s and transformed American culture.
The collection includes a range of T-shirts, button-ups, hoodies, and summer necessities such as a bucket hat and beach towel in pastel colorways.