Nicholas Daley collaborates with Fender on guitar-inspired retro collection

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Dec 9, 2022

Music and fashion have long had a passion for collaborations and the latest one sees famed guitar maker Fender in a tie up with designer Nicholas Daley.

Dubbed ‘American Vintage II’, the collection of electric guitars and basses “inspired by the style, colour and tone of influential decades in music -- the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s”, now has a range of clothing of the same name.

The limited-edition collection features Fender-inspired designs that include bespoke hand-printed vintage tees, priced £60, and Daley’s signature MA-1 bomber jackets, repurposed from deadstock from his own archive. 

The accompanying guitar campaign features the voice of poet-performer Patti Smith alongside artists such as country music duo Brothers Osborne, British vocalist, guitarist, singer and songwriter James Bay, and British rock guitarist Jeff Beck. 

Also pictured in the campaign imagery, modelling Daley’s exclusive collection, are musicians Hak Baker and Any Gadiaga with the designer and the guitar maker part of the project to gift both artists with Fender instruments “to help them develop their sound and artistry”. 

“A perfect fit, Daley’s style and aesthetic lend seamlessly to the vintage overtones of Fender’s latest guitar collection. The bespoke design has been screen-printed onto second-hand tees to recirculate and revive the much-loved aesthetics of past generations”, said Fender in a release.

The company’s VP of Global Communications, Christina Stejskal, added: “Much like our American Vintage II guitars, this collection breathes new life into everlasting styles, while utilising modern techniques to meet consumer's needs. We’re thrilled to have partnered with Nicholas Daley on a first for Fender, bringing the tone of the American Vintage II series to another level.”

Daley added: “Music is part of my label’s DNA so it feels like a natural fit to work with a brand that helped elevate music as we know it. When Fender asked me to respectfully reimagine the aesthetic of American Vintage II, I couldn’t pass it up.”