Helmut Red Lipstick is Black, White and Red All Over

Photo by Helmut Newton

Photo by Helmut Newton

Photo by Helmut Newton

Photo by Helmut Newton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion photographer Helmut Newton was most celebrated for his arresting, provocative black-and-white photography charged with erotic overtones. While Newton’s iconic photographs have, unsurprisingly, spawned many imitators, they have also inspired a special collaboration and unique tribute of sorts: A red lipstick Newton would have happily used on any of his female subjects.

Working with feminist author Periel Aschenbrand (you might remember her tome The Only Bush I Trust is My Own) and ’90s model icon Jenny Shimizu, Poppy King — the Lipstick Queen herself — worked to create  a red lip that embodies the strength and power behind a Newton woman.

“Helmut Red is the culmination of everything sexy and powerful rolled into one, small, compact punch,” Aschenbrand said. “It’s an homage to my favorite photographer. Feminism and fashion photography often do not often go hand in hand, but part of what I love so much about Helmut Newton is that no matter what position they are in, Newton’s women always look powerful.”

Periel Aschenbrand and Poppy King

Periel Aschenbrand and Poppy King

Aschenbrand released Helmut Red in conjunction with the Web site House of Exposure. The site, which is part boutique, part museum and a major dose of cool, allows Aschenbrand to bring artists, photographers and designers together without scheduling conflicts or clashing egos. Not only does the virtual gallery/boutique let collectors nab art, it lets Aschenbrand curate other objects, books and finds — Helmut Red included — that wouldn’t otherwise be on display in a traditional gallery.

Together with Poppy King and supermodel Jenny Shimizu, Aschenbrand worked to create a red lipstick that reflected the power and strength of the women photographed by Helmut Newton. King, who wrote a piece in Vogue 2008 reflecting on Newton’s impact on her own work, said she was thrilled to create Helmut Red. The piece focused on a photo of Jerry Hall wearing a crimson lipstick (King eventually gave a tube of her signature lipstick to the model herself) that was shot by Newton.

Jenny Shimizu

Jenny Shimizu

“We all have dream projects, but they don’t often come true. This is my dream project. My entire career had been the exploration of lipstick as more than a cosmetic,” King said. “To have the chance to recreate the exact shade of red in his photos is a dream. To then work with a woman I admire so much, Periel Aschenbrand, made it out of this world.”

King and Aschenbrand both agreed that Jenny Shimizu, supermodel and face of fragrance CK One in the ’90s, was the perfect embodiment of a modern-day Newton woman. But Shimizu wasn’t in it just for the makeover. She worked with the other ladies on the color itself and made sure that a portion of proceeds from Helmut Red would go to Bantwana, a charity that works to provide education for women and children with HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Shimizu’s androgynous look coupled with her signature blend of strength and femininity made her the perfect spokesmodel for a lipstick meant to empower women.

“Working on a beauty product with two other women really gave me perspective on how I wanted to present this to women,” said Shimizu. “It made me realize how products are marketed to women based on a male-identified beauty standard and what we all agreed upon was that this product should be something that adds to our already existing beauty. It should be something that empowers us and makes us feel more confident.”

Helmut Red Lipstick

Helmut Red Lipstick

The success of the launch (the lipstick was fêted with a party that included appearances from Cameron Silver of L.A. vintage mecca Decades and Sex and the City stylist Pat Field) gave the trio the confidence to continue their project to include more colors and possibly even more products. Shimizu added that future releases would help charities in other parts of the world.

“It is pure unadulterated sexiness in a tube, just like Newton’s photos were sexiness on a page,” said King of the lipstick. “Periel, Jenny and I have had so much fun working on this, we are already dreaming up other exclusive make up products inspired by art.” King adds that the lipstick, which is a blue-based red, boasts a futuristic formula that feels nearly weightless on the lips while imparting a healthy amount of pigment. The finish is a throwback to the ’80s, a time when lipstick was as much of a fashion statement as a perm. But King insists the finish isn’t cloying, sticky or dated in the least.

Jenny Shimizu for Helmut Red

Jenny Shimizu for Helmut Red

To promote Helmut Red, Aschenbrand put Shimizu in front of the camera for a guerilla campaign that plastered her face — lips slicked with Helmut Red, naturally — all over Manhattan. You won’t find the color in department stores or Sephora, though. The lipstick is currently only available on the House of Exposure Web site (alongside art books and ceramic plates painted by James Victore), and each one comes with a limited-edition print by artist Eran Shakine nestled inside the box.

For more information or to purchase Helmut Red, visit www.houseofexposure.com

Photos courtesy Michael Webber and www.Helmut-Newton.com

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Author:Christopher Luu for Fashion Trends Daily

Christopher Luu is a Fashion Trends Daily Senior Writer and Menswear Editor.