March 11, 2022 |
With over three thousand emojis at our fingertips daily, it’s easy to forget that the OG smiley face transcends way beyond just our keyboards. For the past 50 years, the smiley face has been waving the flag for prevailing optimism. French journalist, Franklin Loufrani, put his stamp on the iconic smiley logo in 1972 in his endeavour to spread good news amidst the tensions of the 1970s. Since then, the smiley face has been an enduring sanguine symbol of hope over five decades – across both popular culture and subversive counterculture. Whether it be on album art or Forrest Gump’s t-shirt, the glowing grin has been a unifying crest against doom and gloom.
The face of the hedonistic rave culture of the 1990s, the smiley served as a luminescent neon sign offering refuge from discrimination. Described as an “antidote to the frenzy of global strife and forecasts of doom” by the father of acid-house sound, DJ Pierre. Through its transcendent appeal to its multiple iterations that interweave through homeware, beauty, sport and even food (potato smileys I’m looking at you), the ever-evolving Smiley brand has remained pertinent to modern life.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Smiley brand is launching collaborations with over 50 brands, including the likes of Raf Simons, Moschino and Dsquared2. For the limited-edition products, the Smiley logo will be reinvented by renowned graffiti artist, Andre Saraiva, whose own alter ego, Mr.A, has become an iconic character in the fashion and art worlds. Wanting to capture the “essence of boundless positivity at the core of the smiley brand”, Saraiva’s reincarnation of the Smiley will be individually reimagined by each brand’s anniversary products. The collector’s-edition items will be sold as part of the Smiley takeover of Galeries Lafayette and Nordstrom, with a selection available at Urban Outfitters Europe.
That’s not all. Luxury publishing house, Assouline, has released an exclusive coffee-table book; Smiley: 50 Years of Good News, to bring Loufrani’s philosophy of good news and the Smiley legacy into the tactile realm. The book reflects on Smiley’s heritage and trajectory – from its birth to its cultural and political presence – with half a decade of good news and rave-ready fashions encased within its luminescent pages.
The Smiley mantra of putting our best face forward was spread over global fashion weeks throughout February with two-week fly-poster campaigns in cities to introduce the campaign to the public as part of Saraiva’s global street art manifesto, complete with live experiences and pop-ups.
Released in the run-up to the 2022 anniversary, a short-film co-directed by Loewe-frequenter Liam Aldous, encapsulates the prevailing optimism and unifying power of the Smiley.
The hedonistic nostalgia that comes with the subversive and dualistic nature of this iconic symbol reminds us of better days to come; a modern day counter-culture icon that is sure to reverse a global smile deficit.
Photography courtesy of Smiley. Explore the Smiley’s 50th anniversary celebrations here. ‘Smiley: 50 Years of Good News’ is available to purchase here.
