News • 11 Mar 2015
Hublot Loves Art – Hublot Announces Partnership With Beard Season
Hublot Announces Partnership with Beard Season at Private View of Beard by Mr Elbank at Somerset House
Hublot proves once again “Hublot Loves Art” by celebrating the cultural rise of the beard and its ability to save lives
Luxury Swiss watchmaker Hublot announced its partnership with Beard Season on the 6th of March in London as Principal Sponsor to the photography exhibition Beard by Mr Elbank at Somerset House. Hublot’s brand philosophy of “The Art of Fusion” and “Hublot Loves Art” platform was once again brought to life with the support of the exhibition’s private view, merging the creativity at the heart of the brand with that of the art world. As well as officially opening the hotly-anticipated Somerset House exhibition, the event also marked the brand’s global partnership with Beard Season, the viral movement which inspired many of the exhibition’s most celebrated images.
In 2010, after losing one of his best friends to melanoma at the age of 26, Jimmy Niggles created Beard Season. Long before the hipster and even more recent “lumbersexual” movements, Jimmy and his friends all grew beards as conversation starters, so that every time someone asked about their facial follicles, they could share their friend’s story. The campaign went viral and is now an Instagram sensation, with a simple message: Commit to getting a skin check, grow a beard and become a Beard Season Ambassador.
On the Beard Season and Hublot partnership, Jimmy Niggles commented, “Everybody knows growing a beard takes time and dedication. But a beard can actually give time, by carrying a message which can lead to the early detection of one of the world’s deadliest cancers. To have Hublot recognise this power and help share it with the world is a truly inspiring relationship, which Mr Elbank and I thoroughly look forward to building.”
Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot CEO, said of the collaboration, “Hublot is honoured to support Beard and officially announce our partnership with Beard Season. Much like those who adorn their wrists with a Hublot, Mr Elbank’s magnificent images celebrate people who defy convention and face the world with blazing attitude. We look forward to continuing to work with Beard Season and helping Jimmy and all Beard Season Ambassadors save lives, beard by beard.”
Beard is a celebration of the enduring international beard trend and of individuals who wear their facial hair with uncompromising style. International photographer Mr Elbank began documenting beards as a personal project, drawn to the beauty in an unconventional face. After meeting Jimmy Niggles, his work gained a new purpose. Mr Elbank began a sequence of portraits tagged #Project60, a mission to find and photograph the world’s most sensational beards, bringing global awareness to the Beard Season movement.
The exhibition encompasses Mr Elbank’s early work, the Beard Season #Project60 sequence, as well as new, unseen photographs shot especially for the Somerset House exhibition. His work is masculine but beautiful, with the portraits revealing the power of the personality behind the beard. His subjects come from all walks of life and include American footballer Tim Howard, British actor Sir John Hurt, and fashion savant Nick Wooster. There’s also a striking Sikh woman, Harnaam Kaur, whose medical condition gives her a beard she wears with confidence.
The Hour Glass is proud to be the exclusive retailer of Hublot in South East Asia.