Tie-up with Liam Gallagher’s clothing brand part of 45th anniversary celebrations.
The Smiley Company is teaming up with Pretty Green – the music-inspired clothing label created by former Oasis front man, Liam Gallagher.
The new collaboration is part of a host of new initiatives to mark the Smiley brand’s 45th anniversary in 2017.
The apparel range looks to pay homage to The Hacienda, one of Manchester’s most historically important dance music night spots in the 1980s and 1990s.
Two of the tops in the new collection are plain navy or yellow t-shirts with a polo neck for that button down look, and featuring a small Smiley detail patch on the chest.
The other two long sleeved t-shirts are more of a direct throwback to the ‘Madchester’ days, available in white or navy with a large bright yellow ‘house’ Smiley in an urban graffiti style.
As well as the 45th anniversary of company founder Franklin Loufrani creating and trademarking the classic Smiley for the first time, 2017 also marks 20 years since ceo Nicolas Loufrani created the first digital Smileys.
In 1971 the news was full of depressing stories, so young journalist Franklin was tasked with creating a new way of highlighting good news by Pierre Lazaref, France’s most respected newspaper editor of the time. That autumn, the hand-drawn illustration of Smiley was born, with its first publication in France Soir newspaper appearing on New Year’s Day in 1972.
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