Windowsen to Debut Crystal-embellished Beats by Dre Headphones
FOLLOW THE BEATS: Windowsen, the Chinese label founded by Sensen Lii and known for its high-energy showmanship, will unveil an experimental collaboration with Beats by Dre for crystal-embellished headphones during its second off-schedule show during Paris Fashion Week on Friday night.
Windowsen is the first Chinese brand the Apple-owned headphone specialist has ever worked with, and the crossover led to a limited run of Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones adorned with more than 5,000 lead-free crystals in the gradient shades of purple, green, yellow, blue and red.
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Billed as an embodiment of “cultural innovation and artistic expression,” Lii said the brand’s spirit of cultivating culture, sports, style, and fashion aligned with his vision for Windowsen.
“I like the way that we were trying to explore more possibilities together,” he said. “My first thought of this collaboration is that this over-ear headphone could be such a bold accessory item for any outfit. The gradient design often appears in my design; I think gradient is a good form to enforce layering touch and feel on design.
“Besides, I also created a story as a narrative of this collaboration, in which the main character, a vampire diva, is dressed in a ‘sporty couture’ style, which I think this design is perfect for her,” he added.
Chris Thorne, chief marketing officer at Beats, said the brand “has always sought to remove the boundaries between technology and fashion, having our products serve as an artistic canvas for self-expression. These striking, crystal-encrusted Studio Pro headphones designed in partnership with Windowsen are the perfect example of that.”
Thorne described Lii as “a visionary artist whose designs have been worn by some of the largest and loudest names in music and fashion. He is also one of the most notable designers coming from China, one of our most influential markets.”
Following an electric drag ball at L’Élysée Montmartre last September, Lii said the fall 2024 show will be “a virtual dreamy story in which the main character attended a fancy ball with ups and downs and contradictions making the story more fascinating. Unpredictable incidents always turn the story into a more appealing and unforgettable experience to the audience,” he teased.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Lii recently relocated to Paris from Shanghai to capture global growth potential. While this batch of headphones will only be gifted to Windowsen’s friends and family, Lii hinted that this is just the beginning as he “looks forward to exploring different projects with Beats and other like-minded brands.”
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