Gaga For Polaroid: Instant Fame Monster
PHOTO BY LEILA BRILLSON
In almost every interview, Lady Gaga is asked whether she’ll create her own line, or collaborate with a designer. Gaga, in her own polite, husky-voiced way, consistently demures. If 2009 has taught her adoring public anything, it’s that the Lady will never take the obvious path. Instead of using her immense fashion cred (Her appearance on Ellen was probably the first time Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s name was uttered on network TV) to shill Calatrava-esque shoes or Gaga-inspired gloves, she’s turned her immensely lashed eyes to technology.
So when she announced today that she was going to be the new creative director of Polaroid, the film company that has seen better days, the incredibly exclusive (and technologically focused) photo industry had to learn a new name. Granted, Gaga already has her branded ‘heartbeats’ headphones for Monster, but her new gig appears to be a certified position. “I want to make something clear,” she told reporters at the announcement. “This is not an endorsement deal. We won’t be selling cameras that have my face on them.”
The idea oddly appeals to Gaga;s retro-futuristic sensibilities, and though her role is currently vague, it appears she might actually do some designing for both instant-photo devices and digital. While a more obvious spokesperson might be someone with ‘indie’ cred (heading for the same market as the rebooted Holga), the collaboration has gotten both the tech industry and Gaga fans talking. After all, Gaga is the current maestro of self-presentation, and who better to arm the paparazzi than the queen herself?