Press Conference Set for October 9 at Riviera Palm Springs
Exhibition of Designer’s Artwork Set for October 11 at Melissa Morgan Fine Art in Palm Desert
Astrella, daughter of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Donovan and namesake of a new company operating in the Coachella Valley iHub, will launch her first product line, The Musical T’s™, at a special event October 9 at the Riviera Palm Springs.
Astrella Musical T’s™ emerge at the forefront of “the internet of things” — the marriage of the physical and digital. They combine, for the first time, art, fashion, music, and technology to create a premium, multifaceted clothing experience. Each T-shirt, made with 100% organic fabrics in Astrella’s hometown of Los Angeles, reimagines iconic album artwork and enables consumers to download the albums they’re wearing and engage in an online community. The connection between fashion and music is realized through the proprietary digital link attached to each garment. The line includes T-shirts featuring the designer’s favorite jazz and blues albums — such as Miles Davis’s Blue Moods, Thelonious Monk’s The Unique Thelonious Monk, John Lee Hooker’s Country Blues, Billie Holiday’s All or Nothing at All and John Coltrane’s Lush Life — as well as classic and popular rock albums, including Elton John, Cyndi Lauper, The Who, Queen, Spencer Davis Group, The Vandals, Ravi Shankar, and many more.
“I am very excited to launch my line of luxury tees,” Astrella says. “This clothing line represents my lifelong pursuit of fashion, music, artistic design, and philanthropy. By securely offering the digital recordings associated with the album artwork directly to the consumer, we are introducing an experience that truly separates my line from any other brand.”
After purchasing a T-shirt, the consumer can instantly stream and/or download the associated album tracks with no additional fee and enjoy a musical experience online, where they can find exclusive memorabilia from the record, including videos, photos, memorabilia, and interviews. The content is available exclusively to those who purchase the T-shirts.
Astrella operates in the Coachella Valley iHub, a business incubator managed by the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership that focuses on businesses in the high-tech, digital media, healthcare, and renewable energy industries. “Astrella, the person and the company, moved to Palm Springs from the Majorca, Spain, because they deemed this to be the best place to launch a product line that fuses technology with art,” says Joe Wallace, managing director of the Coachella Valley iHub. “The fusion of art and technology is the source of nearly all game-changing product offerings, and the iHub is pleased that Astrella has chosen to pursue their enterprise here.”
“Palm Springs is known as much for its historic ties to Hollywood and the entertainment industry as its natural resources and beauty,” says Kyle Wagner, acting director of the Coachella Valley Small Business Development Center and associate director of the iHub. “Astrella’s product line is a perfect blend of fashion and innovative technology that reflects the past, present, and future of our community.”
On October 11, Melissa Morgan Fine Art in Palm Desert will host the exhibition of artwork by Miguel Paredes based on the album artwork of Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, Queen, Ray Charles, Spencer Davis Group, The Vandals and The Who. Paredes has collaborated with Astrella on T-shirt designs. The event, scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m., will feature a celebrity guest DJ Bob Forrest (Celebrity Rehab, Thelonious Monster) and two-time Grammy-nominated Carmen Rizzo, with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Matt Sorum and British icon Spencer Davis (Spencer Davis Group) as hosts. Beneficiaries of the auction include Palm Springs Art Museum True Colors Fund, David Lynch Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Human Rights Campaign, Mercury Phoenix Trust and MusicCares.
SCHEDULE
October 9 – 10 a.m.* Press Conference at Riviera Palm Springs
October 11 – Gallery Exhibition & Reception at Melissa Morgan Fine Art
5 p.m. Exhibition and silent auction hosted by Matt Sorum and Spencer Davis(with special DJ set by Bob Forrest)
8:30 p.m. VIP dinner and celebrity meet-and-greet (by invitation)
10 p.m.* After party Hosted by CV Weekly with special DJ set by Carmen Rizzo at the Sidebar (Riviera Palm Springs)
*Open to the public
www.astrellainc.com.
www.cvep.com or call 760-340-1575.
www.psmuseum.org or call 760-322-4800.
