KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE LAUNCHES AN EXCLUSIVE COLLECTION FEATURING THE VAUNTED WORKS OF ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE

Designed in KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE’s New York atelier and available exclusively on KIKIDM.com, the collection includes bondage-inspired leather lingerie as well as silk loungewear, soft furnishings, and items of pleasure adorned with Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs of male and female bodies, flowers, and other iconic images. Clients of KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE and collectors and fans of Mapplethorpe’s work can buy into the collection from $35 for a Polaroid Match Set up to $35,000 for a Boudoir Chaise complete with silk restraints embroidered with “Beauty and the devil are the same thing,” –a quote attributed to Robert Mapplethorpe.

“This partnership is an opportunity to connect two iconic legacies for the first time. Our namesake muse, Mademoiselle Kiki de Montparnasse, was a talented multi-hyphenate known for her self-confidence as a sexually liberated woman during the 1920s when many women faced societal sexual repression. Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography celebrated and memorialized his own sexual identity and subverted traditional gender roles in the 1980s when gay communities were under attack. During our intensive design process, we poured over biographies, photographs, quotes, and unique works of art to find astonishing synergies between the two. This covetable collection will delight art and fashion lovers and celebrate Mapplethorpe’s and Kiki’s role in bringing important issues to the forefront that are still relevant to this day,” says Alexa Cahill, Global President, KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE.

“The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation is pleased to collaborate with KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE on this exciting new line of luxury lingerie and boudoir essentials,” says The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.

“Eroticism and sensuality are celebrated in the works of Robert Mapplethorpe. He worked at the crossroads of intimacy and was never one to shy away from personal expression and freedom. The tactful handling and creative vision of Kiki de Montparnasse brings a unique energy to this special collection,” said David Stark, Founder and CEO of Artestar. “We are so fortunate to have a creative partner to share Mapplethorpe’s creative expression, spreading awareness of his legacy and enabling his work to reach new audiences.”

The KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE x Robert Mapplethorpe collection is available on KIKIDM.com now, with further retail partners to be announced.

About KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE
KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE is a luxury lingerie and sexual wellness brand that celebrates intimacy and inspires confidence, independence, and imagination. When it launched in New York in 2005 as an experiential mecca for insiders seeking a refined perspective on sensuality and seduction, it quickly built an iconic reputation. With fabrics sourced from the finest factories in Europe and Japan and underpinnings handcrafted in its atelier with couture-like precision, every KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE piece feels luxurious, unique, and subtly provocative, designed to be coveted, experienced, and enjoyed. Learn more at kikidm.com and @kikidemontparnasse.

About Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe’s vast, provocative, and powerful body of work has established him as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. His photographs concentrate on statuesque male and female nudes, delicate floral still lifes, and portraits of artists and celebrities – all with an emphasis on classical formal beauty. Mapplethorpe established the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation in 1988, the year before his death, to protect his work, to advance his creative vision and to promote the causes he cared about. As the first president of its board of trustees, he established two mandates: to promote photography as an art form in order to achieve its recognition and respect at the same level as painting and sculpture; and to support HIV/AIDS medical research. Learn more at mapplethorpe.org and @robertmapplethorpefoundation.

About Artestar
This partnership was done in collaboration with Artestar, a global licensing agency and creative consultancy representing high-profile artists, photographers, designers, and creatives. Artestar connects brands with artists – curating and managing some of the world’s most recognizable creative collaborations. Learn more at artestar.com and @artestarnyc.

SOURCE KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE