‘Electric Holiday’ to Bring Disney to Barneys New York Windows Holiday Display

Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, and The Walt Disney Company, the world’s leading entertainment company, announced today their collaboration on the 2012 Holiday campaign at Barneys New York retail venues: Electric Holiday. A multi-platform initiative infused with fashion and fantasy, Electric Holiday will merge the creativity and magic of Disney with the wit and surprise of the legendary Barneys New York annual holiday campaign to create a celebration of festive modern electric lights, music and fashion.

Beginning in mid-November, the Barneys New York Madison Avenue windows will serve as the centerpiece of the Electric Holiday campaign in which an exclusive moving art short created by Disney artists, will be showcased amid a celebration of lights. Disney has also created a modern, three-dimensional electric light show that will encompass the Madison Avenue store entrance and showcase the moving art housed within the windows. To accompany the façade and moving art, Oscar®-winning composer Michael Giacchino is creating an original score of highly-charged music to bring the show to life.

The Electric Holiday program and the Madison Avenue flagship’s windows will be unveiled on November 14th. Air France will be supporting the Holiday 2012 campaign with an integrated promotion and the Electric Holiday light show will feature innovative display technology, using Christie® MicroTiles®, from Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.

“The legendary characters and world created by Disney live in the active mind and memory of virtually every citizen of the world,” said Mark Lee, Barneys New York CEO. “Barneys New York has been privileged to collaborate with Disney and its remarkable talents this holiday season on the Electric Holiday campaign, which places these iconic characters into the center of our fashion world.”

“In the tradition of legendary New York Holiday retail campaigns, Electric Holiday is a festive extravaganza that will delight people of all ages,” said Bob Chapek, president of Disney Consumer Products. “From the stunning visuals, to iconic Disney storytelling and unique merchandise assortment, this collaboration with the venerable Barney’s New York is a celebration worthy of the season.”

Electric Holiday is a fusion of some of the most creative minds, a collaboration comprised of the Barneys New York team under the direction of Creative Director Dennis Freedman and Disney veterans Luis Fernandez, senior vice president of global creative, Disney Consumer Products, and John Quinn, Disney character art director.

The Electric Holiday moving art will feature models inspired by Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse as well as other iconic Disney characters as they star in a fantasy Paris runway show, capturing the essence of the high-fashion world along with the electrically-charged colors and brilliant lights of the magical world of Disney. Minnie and Mickey are transported into a fantasy world where they are transformed from their traditional Disney form into dream-like fashion-forward runway models, and are joined on the Paris runway by five other models evocative of other iconic Disney personalities: Goofy, Daisy Duck, Snow White, Princess Tiana, and Cruella de Vil.

Each transformed Disney model is dressed in a one-of a-kind exclusive look created by some of the most influential fashion designers in the world, including: Nicholas Ghesquière for Balenciaga, Oliver Rousteing for Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Alber Elbaz for Lanvin, Peter Copping for Nina Ricci, Proenza Schouler, and Rick Owens.

To fully bring the iconic Disney characters into the Barneys world, true fashion insiders will be featured within the moving art short, from designers featured in the fantasy runway show, to revered hair and make-up artists, photographers, respected journalists and editors, and the celebrities and notable guests that typically attend the high profile shows. The result depicts a unique, fantasy Paris show with all of the real-world elements of backstage, front-row and runway in illustrated form.

Barneys New York has worked to create a range of exclusive (XO), limited-edition holiday gift items, which will be available for a limited time only at Chelsea Passage on the ninth floor in Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship location in New York, at select Barneys New York locations nationwide and Barneys.com. The product assortment includes Disney’s highly collectible Vinylmation figures designed by Paul Smith and Diane von Furstenberg, Mickey Mouse ears designed by Rag & Bone and L’Wren Scott, and smaller items such as holiday ornaments, edible sweets, toys for children, and much more.

In the spirit of the holiday season, Barneys New York will donate 25% of sales from all Electric Holiday products to a charity in honor of their special collaboration.

Original and exclusive Electric Holiday artwork will be featured on special Barneys shopping bags available with all in-store and Barneys.com purchases during the holiday season.