Swedish designer and Vogue Scandinavia Living cover star Gustaf Westman is bringing his playful design language to one of the world’s most recognisable characters. In a new collaboration with Disney, Mickey & Friends get a Westman overhaul across a collection that will span furniture, homeware, apparel and accessories
The first products of the upcoming Disney x Gustaf Westman collection were revealed today, as an early drop of a full collection that will be available for purchase in mid-November. Including furniture, objects, accessories and clothing, the lineup combines Disney's iconic characters with the distinct, 'dopamine-style' aesthetic of the Swedish designer.
Known for his bold forms and playful proportions, The Disney x Gustaf Westman collection is inspired in part by a visit Westman took to Disneyland Paris, where he immersed himself in the world of Mickey & Friends. That visit, combined with Westman’s own lifelong love of Disney, helped shape the collection’s direction: a blend of telltale Disney’s magic, with Westman’s playful, equally recognisable design language.
Gustaf Westman. Photo: Disney x Gustaf Westman
"Collaborating with Disney felt like a very natural creative match from the start – when it came to sketching ideas and exploring how a silhouette or colour of a character could meet my own design language, there was so much overlap between these recognisable silhouettes and my signature work. It felt like two worlds coming together in a way that felt genuine and effortless," Westman says. "There’s so much joy and playfulness associated with these characters, and I wanted to capture some of that feeling in every piece."
Gustaf Westman with Mickey Mouse, at Disneyland. Photo: Disney x Gustaf Westman
The Mickey Tumbler. Photo: Disney x Gustaf Westman
The Mickey Tumbler leads the collection reveal: reworking Westman’s signature Chunky Tumbler, Mickey Mouse’s iconic red, yellow and black palette is incorporated into the form itself, while Mickey’s ears take on an unmistakably Westmanesque tone. The black ceramic Mickey Mouse Cup is also part of this early reveal, as is the Mickey Mouse Sofa in black leather, which pushes Disney’s iconic characters into more sculptural territory.
"The Mickey Tumbler is probably my favourite piece," adds Westman. "You can look at it for one second and totally understand it. You see both my world and how I have taken inspiration from Mickey’s world at the same time, and that simplicity is something I’m always trying to achieve."
The Mickey Tumbler is probably my favourite piece. You can look at it for one second and totally understand it.
Gustaf Westman
More pieces will be revealed in the coming weeks – the collection will be unveiled at a free-to-attend pop-up in Paris from 30 October to 1 November, before travelling to Tokyo, and on to New York for additional pop-up activations. A selection of pieces will also be available to purchase at Disneyland Paris, giving guests the opportunity to take home part of the collaboration from the destination that helped inspire its creation.
Of the playful collaboration, Sonia Samra, Vice President of Fashion, Home and Beauty, The Walt Disney Company EMEA, says: "Every corner of this collection is brimming with imagination, humour and play. Gustaf has taken the personalities we know so well and given them a playful new life. Because it all comes from his own creative process, the collection feels deeply personal to him while staying true to the characters. Familiar, yet entirely unexpected. That’s where this collaboration really comes to life.”
The Mickey Mouse Cup. Photo: Disney x Gustaf Westman
Consider this your first look, and stay tuned to Vogue Scandinavia for more about The Disney x Gustaf Westman collection which will be available to purchase online from 15 November.