Armitron, the 40-year-old affordable watch brand that reached its pinnacle of popularity in the 1980s, has been out of the style spot for a while. But that all changed Monday when the brand played a role in one of New York Fashion Week’s buzziest presentations—a high-energy show staged by young swimwear and athleisure brand Chromat.
Armitron has teamed up with Chromat for a nine-piece watch collection, Armitron x Chromat, that niftily hearkens back to the ’80s-era heyday of brightly colored rubber sports watches.
It’s a great marketing move for Armitron. Chromat is part of a new guard in designer fashion driven by brands that prioritize inclusivity and diversity in their designs and human representation, both on and off the runway. It’s latest collection reimagines Olympic wear as gender-fluid and vividly colorful.
Now available on Armitron.com, the Armitron x Chromat watches sell for a mere $30 each. Naturally, they’re all digital. The water-resistant watches “compliment Chromat’s architectural bold lines and daring shapes and styles, designed to be empowering garments for all bodies,” reads a prepared statement on the collaboration.
The Chromat runway show was more of a high-energy aerobic presentation: The hourlong show packed fashion media and retailers onto an Astroturf floor in NYC fitness studio Rise by We. Spectators were then treated to model athletes of all genders, races, and sizes moving through boxing workouts and dance cardio sessions to an upbeat soundtrack of songs by Ciara and Lizzo.
Armitron was thrilled to be aligned with the event. Bobbie Weichselbaum, CEO of E. Gluck Corp., the parent company of Armitron, said in the same statement, “For over 40 years, Armitron has designed quality watches fueled by a message of personal empowerment. We felt [Chromat’s] messaging of inclusivity, self-love, and acceptance very much goes along with our brand mission and supports our commitment to grow with our customers’ voices and motivations.”
Top: Model arms in Armitron x Chromat watches at the Chromat show (all photos courtesy of Armitron)
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