Byredo and Craig McDean Celebrated Their Latest Collaboration With a Cocktail Party in Paris

Ten years ago, Byredo founder Ben Gorham met the photographer Craig McDean through the creative studio M/M Paris. “We had common friends, we met, and then just started working together,” explains Gorham. The two have since paired up for multiple projects, and last night they hosted a cocktail party in Byredo’s Paris flagship store in the midst of Paris Fashion Week to celebrate their latest collaboration: Byredo x Craig McDean. It’s a line of merchandise ranging from T-shirts to beer coolers to lighters, all splashed with McDean’s famous imagery.

“We’re on a world tour together,” said McDean with a laugh, Champagne glass in hand. The cocktail also celebrated McDean’s latest Rizzoli book, Manual—a tome featuring some of the world’s top models juxtaposed against cars and automobile parts. “We’re bringing the books and merchandise to Montreal, and then we’ll go to Seoul. Each store has different collections, designs, and outfits. So it’s like we’re driving together in a car, but we’re not. I said next time we should just get a car and go to the locations and have fun!”

In the tiny two-floor space, guests packed in to view the new collection and pick up a copy of McDean’s book. Among those guests testing some of Byredo’s signature scents and sipping Champagne were Elsa Hosk, Alexandre de Betak, Clara 3000, and Karl Templer.

“I never knew what we were doing until four weeks before,” said McDean. “But we loved hanging out and figuring the whole thing out. We have the exact same aesthetic.”