Yes, hearing Fender and Saint Laurent in the same sentence is initially a bit jarring, and hearing that they’ve collaborated on a limited-edition Stratocaster is even more so. But after some thinking, it starts to make sense, as fashion and music have always been joined at the hip throughout history, especially in 20th-century Western pop culture. And both Fender and Saint Laurent are iconic labels that influenced (and continue to influence) both of these industries. Fender released the first solid-body electric guitar (the Telecaster) in 1950, and YSL played an important role in popularizing the Beatnik style of the ‘60s, making this unlikely duo not so unlikely given the crossover of rock music and that style at the time. So the Saint Laurent x Fender Stratocaster is not only a sleek special-edition guitar, but an homage to the history of these classic brands and the impact they had.
The double-cut alder body of this guitar is sort of like a blend between the Aerodyne Strat and the classic Strat silhouette. It has ‘60s single-coil pickups with lipstick-style covers, a maple Oval C-shape neck (also ‘60), and a glossy black fretboard. The whole guitar is covered in a black urethane finish, with one of the few instances of white found in Saint Laurent’s logo under the bridge (and it’s thankfully not too big), along with a Fender Custom Shop logo on the back of the headstock.
This special-edition Strat is a part of the duo’s gear collection that also includes a ‘65 Deluxe Reverb amp with Saint Laurent’s logo embossed on the grill, along with some custom picks and a strap.
The Saint Laurent x Fender Stratocaster is limited to ten editions going for $12,500, and they’re only available at Saint Laurent’s Rive Droite stores in Los Angeles and Paris.
