Danish brand Ganni and Canadian sportswear company Lululemon have joined forces on a 22-piece collection inspired by 1980s dance films such as Flashdance and Fame. The line covers womenswear, accessories and footwear, and it went on sale on 15 October, a week after it was first presented, online at ganni.com and lululemon.com and in selected stores.
The pieces mix Ganni’s playful Copenhagen style with Lululemon’s performance fabrics. Leopard-print leggings, leg warmers, boleros and headbands sit alongside studio-friendly sweat sets, a classic off-the-shoulder sweatshirt and frilled jackets. Lululemon’s signature Define jacket has been reworked with Ganni ruffles, and a grey sweat set leads the campaign images. Prices were not given in the launch details. The idea, according to the brands, is clothing that moves easily between a dance class or a workout and everyday wear outside the studio.
Ganni creative director Ditte Reffstrup said the theme came naturally to her. “’80s dance movies have been part of my life since I was a child,” she said, explaining that she has always been drawn to the energy, determination and sense of freedom in those films and to dance as a form of self-expression. Jonathan Cheung, global creative director at Lululemon, said the project started when Reffstrup told the team that her own movement practice was dance. “It all comes from movement,” he said, adding that the rest of the collection followed from there.
The campaign video brings in a direct link to the era. It stars the actor Jennifer Beals together with the singer and dancer Mette, who has worked with Lululemon since her dance school days. The two are filmed in a dance studio wearing the new pieces, with a soundtrack that recalls the track Maniac. Mette said the project tied together many threads from her own life, recalling that she grew up learning to weld from her father while hoping for a break into the arts.
The release arrives as the 1980s continue to feed into fashion, from the corporate yuppie look to the pinstripes and broad shoulders seen on recent runways. Ganni and Lululemon have taken the other side of the decade, the leotard and leg-warmer culture of the dance studio, and turned it into clothes meant to work both for training and away from the gym. The collection is available now while stocks last.
