Alexander Wang

Samsung Electronics and New York-based fashion designer, Alexander Wang, have announced a collaboration to create a print inspired by crowd-sourced sketches and images using the GALAXY Note II. The print will appear on a limited-edition bag that will be sold around the world to raise funds for Art Start, a nationally-recognized charity that uses the arts to nurture the creative talents of at-risk children.

Leveraging the Galaxy Note II’s create-and-share benefit, Wang will engage a group of friends, stylists, photographers and others to create “doodles” – an image, pattern, or a photo – on their Galaxy Note II device. Wang will then curate these sketches into one collectively-inspired final print that will go on the bag.

“I am most inspired from my everyday life and the people that surround me, so the idea of a co-creation with the people that I admire and respect the most is very exciting,” said Wang. “This collaboration represents a new way that technology and style can come together. And, through a concerted effort, I am happy to be a part of supporting such a great charity as Art Start that embraces creativity and art in a way that can change lives.”

Wang is recognized for his global fashion sensibility and has a knack for pushing boundaries and surprising consumers, which, Samsung said, made him a perfect fit for this project.

“Wang’s passion for experimentation, his playful sensibility and his on-the-go lifestyle are the traits that we seek to empower with the Samsung GALAXY Note II,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Samsung Mobile. “Technology is becoming more deeply linked with the creative processes of fashion designers, and Samsung products are empowering users with the freedom to be creative and productive without limits. As technology and fashion converge, we will continue to create products that inspire passion through innovation.”

The charity which this bag will benefit, Art Start, is a New York City-based non-profit organization that focuses on at-risk children and youth between the ages of 5 to 21. Art Start’s creative arts workshops seek to nurture the creativity and talents of their youth participants, while instilling the confidence to pursue meaningful opportunities in life.

“By partnering with Alexander Wang and Samsung mobile, we’ll be providing our youth with exceptional opportunities that are typically not available,” said Johanna De Los Santos, Executive Director at Art Start. “By inspiring and enabling our participants with technology, industry mentorships and direction, we’ll demonstrate how creativity begets success and happiness.”

Samsung has also signed on as an official sponsor of New York Fashion Week, which begins this week in the Big Apple. The company will host an exclusive VIP lounge for the fashion elite to learn about Samsung GALAXY products.