Feted fashion designer Vivienne Tam collaborates with Starbucks

SINGAPORE — Talk about coffee with added perks. Known for her culture-bridging, East-meets-West approach, Hong Kong fashion designer Vivienne Tam is the latest creative big name to collaborate with international coffee chain Starbucks.

True to Tam’s innovative approach to design, the exclusive four-piece set fuses fashion and functionality. Each set retails at S$128 and comprises a double-wall mug, a steel bottle, a tote bag and Starbucks Card.

“I’m always looking for opportunities to apply my designs to everyday objects and products — making them functional and stylish,” the New York-based designer told TODAY. “As a designer, I am constantly looking for new challenges … whether it’s a new fabric, new product category or new collaboration.

“If my vision can bring more consumers and increase branding, that’s icing on the cake.”

Inspired by Tam’s iconic Bird and Flora prints, the collection also blends Asian cultural roots with a “modern design vocabulary”.

“(The print) was inspired by the beauty and serenity of an early spring morning in a Chinese Garden. I would like to convey this wonderful feeling and experience to the consumers when they use these products,” Tam explained, adding how she also loves designing “all kinds of lifestyle products”, particularly home products.

And while she hopes there will be a chance to branch into other merchandise such as apparel, this collaboration with Starbucks, she said, is a one-off project.

“I have been collaborating with other brands and companies for a long time,” she added. “I’ve done it all.”

These range from designs for GM cars to Lenovo smartphones, as well as Chinese New Year costumes for Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She also created the first “designer digital clutch” when she turned a Hewlett-Packard notebook computer into a fashion accessory. There is also her Opera Girl watch face app, which was rated one of the top designs last year. Her recent exhibit at the Met Museum, China: Through the Looking Glass, received rave reviews too.

Such collaborations, she said, are ways for her to expand her creativity into other products, “reaching new consumers and learning about other industries”.

This exclusive collection is available at all Starbucks outlets, but limited to one set per customer. Don Mendoza