Introducing The New Swatch x Supriya Lele

October 05, 2021

The playbook for Swatch collaborations has always been about fun. There are the amusing (and ultra-collectible) Mickey Mouse watches from Damien Hirst and Keith Haring; the wacky totem-pole-like number designed with the pop star Mika. Swatchs latest collab with Supriya Lele, a British-Indian fashion designer, carries on the good vibrations. Launched last month, the Swatch Skin Classic comes in five models, in bright, peppy colors, and features an ultra-thin case to match ultra-thin printed straps, and, for the first time, color-printed glass over the dial. Three of the watches feature Madras check C Indias perennial print thats signature to Leles work C in zingy blue, orange-pink, and blue-yellow-green colorways on the straps and dials. Two other models, in a bright pink and blue-green, show the time (three, six, nine, and 12 oclock) in Hindi text. The case and buckle are made from Swatchs bio-sourced plastic, a sustainable material that the house launched last year.Lele is one of fashions most exciting names right now. Her directional sari-style draping and sensual cut-out motifs have earned her a cult-like status while attracting big players, too. In 2019 she won part of the LVMH Prize Fund for Young Fashion Designers. Leles designs pulse with a mix of British and Indian identity C think black, rubberized fabrics for the former, sheer finishes and asymmetric cuts for the latter C and she revisits references from her youth, from grunge and goth to growing up around women doctors. As a child of the 90s, she wore a Swatch, as did many of her friends, she says, which made teaming up with Swatch an immediate yes. I like that sense of nostalgia towards the 90s, she says. The Skin Classic is a super-thin, flat watch with gorgeous transparent detailing C you can play with it. I saw an opportunity to put my stamp on it C with colors, texture, layering.With five models, the Skin Classic is a tight, edited drop, but according to Lele, that wasnt always the case. She says that while the project felt so aligned with what I do C applying different colors and textures C in fact, we had too many ideas in the end, she says. It was almost hard to break them down; we could have gone on forever. For Swatch, the collaboration continues a long tradition of mashing up watchmaking and other disciplines. Swatch is the king of collaborations, having launched its first tie-in way back in 1985, with the artist Kiki Picasso. Weve?always seen the product as a canvas, says Swatchs creative?director Carlo Giordanetti. As much as we?internally do all design,?development, and creativity C you need an?injection of energy once?in a while. For me, thats a collaboration: to bring together the best of two?worlds, and to really boost the energy. What We Think The most eye-catching feature is the newly-developed colored glass C in pink, blue, or yellow C which is Swatchs nod to Leles signature use of layering. Sophisticated in its construction, the transparent-like tint creates a graphic, multicolored face that really pops C and when combined with the see-through case and slashes of Leles Madras check, the watch feels edgy, directional, and fresh.?The colors are especially bright and uplifting - and have a clear feminine vibe thats central to Leles work C but there is something quite unisex and modern about the design. I saw the watch worn by both men and women, young and old (including both Giordanetti and Lele), and the five distinct models really offer something for everyone. Thats partly down to it also being super light and thin, among the thinnest on the market, and something that everyone will appreciate, aesthetically as much as technically. The watch truly wears like a second skin, so it really channels Leles work in both look and feel. The bio-sourced plastic is another plus, and which is slowly making its way through Swatchs portfolio, as it should. Lele is like a good number of us C a big Swatch fan as a kid C and the collaboration plays to her strength: reinterpreting a classic with a twist, whether thats warping Indias traditional Madras check or envisioning a grown-up version of the Swatch she loved for today. This watch certainly succeeds in Swatchs mission to break boundaries and merge disciplines, to boost the energy as Giordanetti said. Lele is a fashion favorite, until recently more an insiders brand, but this collaboration will see her attract new audiences while continuing to keep Swatchs finger on the pulse. At $125, its a great price and matches the playful, fun vibe C which, from cartoon watches to kooky cases C is what watchmaking increasingly feels all about. Swatch Skin Classic x Supriya Lele, 34mm, 3.99mm thick, water-resistant to 30m. $125, available at retail and online at swatch.com Ming Liu writes about watches, contributing regularly to The New York Times, Financial Times, British Vogue, and Vanity Fair. She is the watch and jewelry editor for the London style magazine, The Glossary. Shop this story The HODINKEE shop is an Authorized Dealer of SWATCH watches; explore our collection here. Learn more about the Swatch Skin Classic x Supriya Lele here.