For Valentine’s Day, Marla Aaron Jewelry is delivering a timeless message about love with a little help from Shakespeare, Brooklyn-based creative agency Something Different and some of the cutest kids you’ve ever seen. Love Is Everything, the brand’s new short film, features kids ranging in age from three to 13 reciting the words of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, My Mistress’s Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun. The piece was created to celebrate Valentine’s Day and mark the installation of a Marla Aaron Jewelry vending machine at MZ Wallace’s flagship store in New York’s Soho neighborhood. The film will play on the vending machine and will also be featured on Marla Aaron’s website.
The film was directed by Something Different chief creative Tommy Henvey, from an idea suggested by Aaron herself. The kids, recruited from around the New York City area, speak lines in succession and sometimes struggle with the Bard’s words, adding to the charm of their performance. Most of the kids who appear in the film have never acted before. “We loved the authenticity of Marla’s vision,” says Something Different managing partner Patti McConnell. “There is something inherently interesting about this cross-section of kids, and their awkwardness as they struggle with Shakespeare’s words is charming and beautiful.”
“Shakespeare’s poem makes the point that love has nothing to do with beauty; its essence is much more ephemeral,” adds Aaron. “It’s a beautiful message for Valentine’s Day.”
But it was a labor of love for all concerned. And a host of other companies deserve credit for the success of the piece. JSM provided the wonderfully evocative music track. The editing, coloring and mixing took place at Crew Cuts. And Platform Content was the production company.
First introduced at the Brooklyn Museum, Marla Aaron Jewelry’s vending machine has been dubbed “the world’s most glamorous vending machine” and credited with “reinventing the sale of fine jewelry.” The machine will be in residence at MZ Wallace from January 24 through February 22, its first installation in a retail store. It will be stocked with a selection of jewelry, co-curated by MC Wallace co-founder and designer Lucy Wallace Eustice and Aaron. Prices range from $125 to $1,500.
“As a self-proclaimed jewelry lover, I discovered Marla’s designs a couple of years ago and immediately fell in love with everything,” said Eustice. “Since then, we’ve established a wonderful friendship and have been brainstorming ways to collaborate. There was no question that our store would be the perfect location for her first-ever retail residency, especially with Valentine’s Day around the corner.”
“I want to touch as many people as possible with our jewelry and the vending machine is about doing that in a surprising way,” adds Aaron. “MZ Wallace makes well designed products that I deeply respect for their utility and ingenuity. Our jewelry is meant to be “tools” for our customers to use with their own jewelry in new ways. Having the chance to share the experience of our vending machine within the MZ Wallace universe is utter perfection.”
MZ Wallace and Marla Aaron Jewelry will host a special event at MZ Wallace’s Soho store on Tuesday, February 12, 5-7pm (TBD) to celebrate the collaboration and Valentine’s Day.
Something Different is located in Brooklyn, New York. For more information, call 929-324-3030 or visit www.itssomethingdifferent.com
