The iconic brand celebrates almost 90 years as an unconventional canvas, by creating a mural with the renowned British street artist in the heart of London.
Zippo x Street Artist D*Face Unveil London Mural
Zippo lighters have brought unmatched levels of artistic talent to the smallest and most unconventional of canvases throughout the brand’s history. This year, teaming up with street artist D*Face, Zippo continues its commitment to shine a light on unconventional art, and celebrate creativity in all its forms.
“A Zippo windproof lighter has been an unconventional canvas for almost 90 years, a small but sturdy platform for individuals to showcase their own personal style and creative spirit. The level of detail provided by our new 540 Color decoration process enables us to display and showcase D*Face’s incredible design with as much impact as the mural itself,” Lucas Johnson, Global Senior Brand Manager for Zippo, commented.
A unique mural, painted by D*Face, was revealed at the inaugural London Mural Festival, to celebrate the launch of the brands latest design innovation, 540 Color decoration process and showcases the Master of Murals’ distinctive urban style and subversive take on pop culture. The bold new design is a subversive self-portrait representing the mash up of culture and media that surrounds us in the 21st century – a nod to the brand’s iconic pop culture status and commitment to individual expression. The mural is the centrepiece of a global integrated marketing campaign.
As part of the London Mural Festival, the artwork came to life in London’s Kings Cross, alongside 40 additional murals painted by international and local artists across the city – London Mural Festival’s aim is to present the city as a blank canvas and celebrate creative communities across the globe.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of this project with Zippo. Being a born and bred Londoner I’ve grown pretty used to using its streets as a canvas my whole life so it feels right to be a part of the very first Mural Festival. As for the lighter itself, I’ve grown accustomed to accepting my murals as temporary but it’s great that this one will have some form of miniaturized permanence that you can slip into your pocket. Cool to think that a lighter has become this unconventional conduit for urban art,” D*Face said.
Zippo captured behind the scenes footage of D*Face using various mediums and techniques to create the painting in his unmistakable style on the 7 x 11 meter wall - watch the video.
The mural design will be permanently captured on a limited edition Zippo windproof lighter – a canvas that lasts a lifetime and will form part of a 3-piece Zippo Street Art Collection. Sitting alongside designs from Marija Tiurina and Tristan Eaton, the collection will showcase the brand’s latest innovation, the 540 Color decoration process. The new process allows Zippo to add any design, in full color graphics, to the windproof lighter, wrapping around all edges and surfaces, making it the perfect canvas to showcase street artists’ work. The collection is available to purchase here.
As graffiti enthusiasts visited the D*Face artwork, during the opening weekend of the festival, they also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the House of Zippo, located via a door behind the mural. The unique experiential art x retail space that featured live experiences from participating artists.
