Snoopy And His Sister Belle Make A Bold Fashion Statement

NEW YORK, July 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing together the world's most popular beagle, Snoopy, and his sister Belle with the world's foremost design visionaries, Peanuts Worldwide today announced the launch of an international fashion initiative with "Snoopy and Belle in Fashion," an exhibition of creations designed exclusively for the Peanuts characters by the world's foremost designers. The fashion leaders designing for Snoopy and Belle include: Anna Sui, Betsey Johnson, Bibhu Mohapatra, Calvin Klein Collection, Christian Siriano, Costello Tagliapietra, DKNY, Diane Von Furstenberg, DSquared2, Dries Van Noten, Emanuel Ungaro, Isaac Mizrahi, Isabel Marant, J.Mendel, Kenneth Cole, Lisa Perry, MAC Cosmetics, Opening Ceremony, Philip Treacy, Rodarte, Royal Asscher, Swarovski, Tommy Hilfiger, Tracy Reese, VPL by Victoria Bartlett, and Zac Posen. 

The exhibition, featuring on-trend vinyl Snoopy and Belle dolls in one-of-a-kind creations, will open at the Sky Room in the New Museum in New York City during Fashion Week on September 8, 2014.  The New York event will be followed by international exhibitions in 2015 that include the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and other locations in Milan, Tokyo, and more. 

"Snoopy and Belle In Fashion" makes its premiere appearance as Peanuts prepares to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the beloved Charles Schulz comic strip in 2015, along with the brand's first all new CGI 3D feature film from Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, and the 30th anniversary of the inaugural "Snoopy in Fashion" event of the 1980s that went on to exhibit at The Louvre and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  The all new exhibit will include Snoopy and Belle looks from the new roster of leading designers, as well as iconic looks from the original exhibition.

"This has been a very special opportunity for the fashion community to come together for a global artistic collaboration—one that will inspire a halo effect across the consumer fashion universe," says Neil Cole, Chairman and CEO of Iconix Brand Group, the parent company of Peanuts Worldwide. "Snoopy and his sister Belle have been fashion icons for decades, but this reimagined traveling global exhibit will really put them on the map with a bold statement."

"Snoopy and Belle's connection to fashion through the years has been quite phenomenal, and with the newly imagined Snoopy and Belle in Fashion, Belle can step more completely into the spotlight," says Jeannie Schulz, wife of Charles "Sparky" Schulz. "I know Sparky would be as excited as I am to see the creativity of these fashion geniuses shine, and to see Snoopy and Belle in Fashion take shape."

"I've been pleased to be a part of the original 'Snoopy In Fashion' exhibition 30 years ago and again in 'Snoopy and Belle in Fashion' 2014," says Diane Von Furstenberg, President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) which has helped to bring a host of the new roster of designers on board. "It's a unique design challenge, and one that brings a new kind of creative joy to the design process. I'm inspired to empower a new generation with a character I love so much."

In gratitude for the designers' participation in the event, Peanuts will make a donation to their charity of choice.

The inaugural "Snoopy In Fashion" project debuted 30 years ago this year, with such diverse designers as Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Oscar De La Renta, Giorgio Armani, L.L. Bean, Bob Mackie, and Sonia Rykiel. The show went on to exhibit at The Louvre, The L.A. County Museum, and throughout Europe and Asia, and inspired both paperback and hard cover art books.

Where It All Began

Snoopy stepped out of Charles Schulz's comic strip, Peanuts, and turned soft and huggable in 1968, when Determined Productions presented the world with its first cuddly plush Snoopy.

In no time at all, Snoopy fans around the world began asking for clothes and Determined Productions responded with a line of outfits suitable for Snoopy, the master of disguise. In 1976, Snoopy's sister Belle made her debut in the Peanuts comic strip and later as a plush doll with a complete wardrobe.

In the early 1980s, Connie Boucher from Determined Productions began to contact the most famous and talented couturiers in the world to create an original one-of-a-kind designer outfit for both Snoopy and Belle. The result was a fabulous collection of specially designed haute couture that became an exhibition around the world.

Charles M. Schulz could not believe that famous fashion designers from around the world would agree to turn their talents to creating clothes for a plush doll, but the Snoopy in Fashion collection is testament to the universal appeal of the world's most famous beagle.

With gala openings at prestigious venues such as the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and the Seibu Art Forum in Tokyo, Snoopy in Fashion travelled to cities around the world throughout the mid-1980s.

About Peanuts

The PEANUTS characters and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide LLC, a joint venture owned 80% by Iconix Brand Group, Inc. and 20% by members of the Charles M. Schulz family.

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SOURCE Peanuts Worldwide