Aries links with KFC for 10-piece high-end capsule
There's a now-long-established tradition of fashion brands and retailers linking up with big names in the food industry and the latest collab highlights just how far this has gone with a launch at eye-watering prices.
Aries, the London-based streetwear brand, has partnered with KFC for a limited edition fashion drop dubbed the Gravy Drip Collection.
Now, that might sound like the kind of thing you'd take with a pinch of salt (no pun intended) were it launched on April 1. But launching on June 4, it needs to be taken more seriously.
Aries is known for its interesting collabs and eye-catching graphics and in this case the 'artfully surreal imagery by famed photographer Douglas Irvine… evokes Renaissance opulence with a surreal edge. Think Caravaggio if he swapped his fruit bowls for family buckets'.
The capsule is 'inspired by KFC's iconic gravy. From hand-dripped leather jackets and Roman-printed denim to enamel-dipped accessories and a ceramic gravy boat, it's built to cut through the noise and spark cultural conversation'.
Limited-edition pieces are priced from £12 to £1,400 and will be available exclusively from tomorrow at ariesarise.com.
The companies said that 'it's a 10-piece love letter to comfort food and couture — where liquid gold gravy meets punk luxury in the most gloriously unhinged way. We're talking high fashion with a finger lickin' twist. It's bold, it's messy, it's everything you never knew you needed'.
What that means in practice is digitally printed denim jeans wrapped in Roman banquet-inspired scenes and black tees dripping in golden gravy. The black sweats 'give athleisure a luxe edge, with sharp gold detailing and dual branding that hits just right'.
There's also a cap, a golden chicken drumstick pendant glazed in gravy-hued enamel, and a sticker pack fusing Roman architecture with tongue-in-cheek chicken iconography.
But the star of the show is the distressed leather jacket in deep brown, with a 'Renaissance-style back panel where celestial figures present chicken drumsticks like prized treasures'.
Each jacket is finished with a co-branded gold foil logo and a hand-applied gold drip effect, 'making every piece one of a kind and built for the truly devoted'. That's where the £1,400 price tag comes in.
The companies also said it's 'fashion that doesn't take itself too seriously — serving sharp design, high-concept visuals, and a wink of absurdity. This is the next evolution of a cultural moment for KFC, that started earlier this year at Sinead Gorey's fashion week runway, with models clutching chicken mid-strut and social media eating it up'.
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