Disney. Tim Burton. Tom Binns.
Something fashion-y inspired by Tim Burton’s very distinctive vibe, created by a neat-o designer with funding and distribution by Disney? Oh, yes please. To coincide with the release of Burton’s Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp, Disney will be rolling out a series of apparel and accessory lines inspired by the film and designed by fashion types, not Disney types. Somebody is a licensing genius.
Generally, the idea of Disney-approved apparel conjures up gag-worthy images of random crap covered in Mickey ears. But, I can’t imagine (here’s hoping) Tim Burton or Tom Binns going for that. Disney seems to be getting more comfortable with an increasingly explicit recognition of the adult themes of some of its “children’s” films. Cartoon movies, especially those born of The Brothers Grimm, have always had story lines dark as hell. But in the past, Disney’s insanely profitable merchandising business has largely stayed away from the dark, preferring to churn out pint-sized, sequin-covered versions of its princesses’ dresses. Now, it looks like Disney’s consumer products division is ready to take a more sophisticated approach as the merchandising planned for Alice will include some decidedly adult goodies.
Johnny Depp may be partly responsible for Disney’s attitude adjustment. Apparently, Mickey freaked the hell out during filming of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie when he got wind of Depp’s drunken, sexually ambiguous, guy liner-ed, Keith Richards-based Jack Sparrow character. Well, Johnny told Mickey that he wasn’t going to water down his take on the character, so he could like it or shove it. Mickey was still nervous for fear that the character didn’t jive with Disney’s family-friendly image, but reluctantly went along with it. And then Pirates hit and hit big — mostly because of Jack Sparrow.
Disney must have learned something there since combining an already heavy-on-the-acid story like Alice with the minds of Burton and Depp pretty much guarantees a dark, cracked-out film. And then they chose Tom Binns, CFDA award-winning jewelry designer, to create a jewelry line inspired by the film — a jewelry line presumably *not* requiring Mickey ears on every piece. Binns is already pretty famous for being a favorite of Michelle Obama. He is known for “punk couture” designs which mix elegant, classic elements with coarser, rock and roll details. Man, if that doesn’t sound like the perfect fit for Tim, Johnny and Alice?
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