Lady Gaga and Polaroid design fashion camera sun glasses. Photo Credit: Polaroid
In the pre-digital era (P.D.E.), the Polaroid was something that always seemed to make its way into the hands of a grandmother at Thanksgiving dinner, or a sunburnt father on some beach somewhere gathering up the tribe for one last memory of the end of a summer vacation. The camera's edge over other photo-chemical processes was in its immediacy. Huddled around the 4 x 5 pull apart picture, there was a sense of anticipation in watching the image appear as if by magic. People loved the Polaroid because it was easy to use and, more than anything else, it produced results on the spot. According to Polaroid history buffs, more than 1 billion Polaroid pictures were made in 1974. For nearly four decade Polaroid cameras corner the niche on "instant' -- then digital happened. Like Kodak, another household brand, the Polaroid was successful because it recognized and continues to recognize the power images hold over our emotions. There is ritual not only in picture-making, but also in holding a memory in your hands only second after it was made.
Recently, Polaroid strategically linked up with pop icon Lady Gaga a their new creative director to promote a line of collaboratively designed products including sunglasses, cameras and other items. It's not the first time Polaroid has gone to celebrities to endorse its products. Notables have included Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Jerry Lewis, Ali MacGraw, Lord Laurence Olivier, Liv Ullmann, Candice Bergen, Alan Alda, Danny Kaye, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and the Muppets. This time though, with Lady Gaga, the relationship is more than about endorsing a brand -- it seems more symbionic. It's not that Lady Gaga needs for balls to juggle, but working with Polaroid affords her some creative muscle flexing in the area of design and fashion. In a press announcement earlier this year Lady Gaga said, "The Haus of Gaga has been developing prototypes in the vein of fashion/technology/photography innovation--blending the iconic history of Polaroid and instant film with the digital era--and we are excited to collaborate on these ventures with the Polaroid brand."
It's hard to imagine Polaroid ever regaining the dominance it held in the industry from the 1950s through the mid-1990s, but it is refreshing to know that the company's passion for innovation and design continues.
