In a field where collaborations between artists and brands are steadily expanding, 44-year-old Skye Gellatly has remained a top secret. Those in the style and art worlds may value him as an astute intermediary between artists and fashion brands looking to capitalize on potentially lucrative partnerships. But until now he has kept a very low profile.
Eight years ago, Gellatly and longtime colleague Nikul Gudzian moved to New York to forge connections in the art world with big-name brands like Nike, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Comme des Garçons, Louis Vuitton, and the late Virgil Abloh. Established agency ICNCLST. Some notable names include Takashi Murakami and graffiti artist Leonard McGirr, better known as Futura.
Recent deals include Air Jordans, MoMA Design Store, and a capsule fashion collection by artist Nina Chanel Abney. A collaboration between Italian luxury outerwear brand Moncler and artist Rostal (Romon Kiming Yang). Of particular note is LVMH's Sneaker in Residence exhibition, curated by Gellatly.
This fall, he is teaming up with Jacobs to highlight the high-powered work of Jacobs' longtime collaborators Sofia Coppola, Marilyn Minter, Damien Hirst, and their Los Angeles gallery Control. He conceived the group exhibition “Just Like Heaven''. Gelatoly is my partner.
This year, Futura is collaborating with Japanese artist/fashion designer Verdy to create prints that will be sold online. A partnership with artist Devon Turnbull, founder of audio company Ojas, for The Listening Room in Detroit. There are also several collaborations with Nike centered around the 2026 World Cup.
Gellatly seems mostly content to let his clients tap into their star power while he works behind the scenes. He followed that pattern at Futura, producing artist collaborations with Louis Vuitton, the New York Mets, Comme des Garçons, Beats by Dre, Noguchi, and a project at last month's Miami Art Basel.
Visitors to Basel may have recognized Futura, the subject of the retrospective exhibition “Futura 2000: Breaking Out,” which runs through March 30 at the Bronx Museum of Art. It was unlikely you'd spot Gelatoly wandering the crowd at the Miami Convention Center's new Art Basel gift shop. He showed up to celebrate the announcement of the FL-001 Mini Point Man. FL-001 Mini Point Man is a toy-sized replica of Futura's most famous large-scale sculpture, an alien-like figure with an intimidating expression.
Visitors flocked to Futura, but Gelatoly maintained a shadowy presence. He wore a tailored black Uniqlo jacket and trousers, a well-researched and understated uniform for a self-proclaimed outlier.
And that's how he likes it.
“I'm an introvert,” Gellatly said in an interview late last fall. He was sitting at a conference table in his Tribeca studio. The space was devoid of clutter, with the exception of souvenirs from collaborations with Kaws, Klink, and Abney. He was wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the logo of Columbia University, where he is an adjunct assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
In the edited and condensed interview below, Gellatly talks about Oprah's formative moments, “fighting the good fight for artists,” and more.
It seems like you've intentionally kept a low profile throughout your career. why is that?
I'm not exactly a salesman. I consider myself and my team to be mirrors of the creatives I work with. We want to reflect their potential and keep them engaged. Of course I give them a chance. But we're looking for projects that strike a personal chord with me.
You have chosen an unconventional path into the world of art and high-end branding. What moved you in that direction?
I grew up in Hopewell Junction in upstate New York, on a mountain ridge surrounded by forests. We were an artistically inclined family. Although my father aspired to a career in the arts, he continued to work in the Port of York as a coastal tanker captain. my mother was a teacher. When I was in my 30s, I had a kiln at home and was making pottery.
The house had Shaker furniture, Noguchi lamps, and a Keith Haring print that my parents bought in the 1980s. I feel like a lot of what I do is in some ways an extension of what they were interested in and what I grew up with.
How did you become a fashion fan?
My mother subscribed to Interview magazine. She is good at sewing and made some of my clothes when I was a child. On Saturday mornings, I watched fashion shows on TV. Those things were etched in my heart.
Then, after I graduated from college, I was at home watching Oprah with my girlfriend. Part of the show was cut to Marc Jacobs' studio. At that point, I would have probably bought Mark's sneakers or a T-shirt. And I thought, “Oh, this is what a creative person's studio looks like.” That left an impression on me.
You spent the early stages of your career at the intersection of editing and marketing, working at Complex magazine and in editorial roles at MTV and Detail magazine. You led marketing at Hypebeast. How did that background influence you?
We saw the “high culture” of print media suddenly having to coexist with digital media. I felt that the time was near when unforgiving intersections would become the new norm. In a press release, everything should be a clever tagline, not a new story or conversation.
Why does collaboration work?
It comes down to shared passion. Brands like Nike want to create performance shoes with functional benefits. But Nike takes a holistic view of potential partners, realizing, for example, that an artist could be a creative and a runner, or for that matter, a DJ. Your product will be successful if you make suggestions like this. A platform or story that reflects the human side of an artist, something less known.
One example is Futura. As a New Yorker, he was a lifelong Mets fan and had season tickets to games. He told me his dream was to work for the Mets.
He ended up creating a collaboration baseball cap with a Mets jersey and bobblehead. He was eager to throw out the first pitch of the game with his son. He then told his fans, “I love baseball just like you. When I paint, I listen to the Mets on the radio.”
Who are the likely consumers of this type of product?
This is my 14 year old son. For his generation, partnerships between art and brands are practically a given. From a youth perspective, why shouldn't artists own their intellectual property in sneakers as well as video games?
You've built long-term relationships with artists and designers, including surfwear creator Sean Stussy, Murakami, and your friend and frequent Louis Vuitton collaborator Abloh. What’s the benefit to you, other than the obvious hype?
I am primarily drawn to people who seem to have started a movement. I also have friends. Some have become mentors to me. My interest is to share life moments with them.
One of the most transformative experiences for me was the first time I went to Takashi's studio in Japan a few years ago. It was an old abandoned car manufacturing factory. The sheer scale of this place, the level of organization and creativity is immense. It's like Walt Disney.
My friendship with Takashi was especially inspirational. he gave me
Stories like several mentors.
Why would an artist of your stature feel comfortable working with you?
For a long time, prominent artists have been hesitant to take on commercial projects, warning that it could damage their value and reputation. Some of them say to me, “Sure, a lot of brands contacted me, but my gallery turned me down flatly.''
Some of our artists value working in an egalitarian world. They want to create products that remind their children of themselves as teenagers. From a social media perspective, they may prefer that brand partnerships give them a bigger megaphone.
Do you consider yourself some kind of benefactor?
I think we are fighting the good fight for the artists. Historically, there was a concept of galleries owning artists. Half of the artist's income goes back to the gallery. That's a disproportionate amount.
What is it for brands?
There is a shared reputation or recognition that the brand and the artist or arts organization are leaders in their field. Three months ago, we launched a set of Nike socks with MoMA and Nike logos. That item was a signal of mutual respect between partners, a metaphorical handshake. Thousands of pairs of socks were sold out.
How large of a staff is required to successfully complete a transaction like this?
There are about 20 people in New York and another 20 in Los Angeles. We aim to be the first fully vertically integrated agency for artists, from licensing to curation. Many of these types of support have been common for actors, athletes, and musicians forever. But for artists, this is new.
