Fashion Campaign Analysis: Chloe FW '18

As a photographer who loves movement, I can fully appreciate the Chloe campaigns. You’re never visually bored with how they’re captured, and the energy continues to be effervescent in their Fall Winter ‘18 campaign.

Chloe’s Creative Director, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, was inspired by 70’s cinema and mentioned Anjelica Huston, Stéphane Audran, and Sissy Spacek as the muses when the collection debuted. Ramsay-Levi has been with the label less than a year and is already making big strides. In her latest collection, she reconstructed everyday clothing such as deep v’s and drop waists too elongate the female form. The fluidity of the garments is the perfect balance of editorial to streetwear.

Steven Meisel photographed and filmed the campaign that took place on a Brooklyn pier. The film opens up with a model riding a bike amidst the New York skyline then closes in on the remaining models amongst colorfully painted slabs of concrete. The muted colors and sleek hair and makeup are mesmerizing and elevate the garments. As the scene progresses you see the models strutting up a ramp and interacting with one another almost as if they’re on the street. Here you see the contrast between the catwalk and everyday life that creates a friendly, neighborhood vibe. This sequence is replayed three times. The use of repetition trains the viewer’s eye where to look and allows them to notice different details each time. The photographs are film stills that continue to emphasize motion. As we can see, Ramsay-Levi’s vision is effectively communicated through Meisel’s work.

Ramsay-Levi has carefully curated a brand that is raw and real. Instead of creating a lifestyle Chloe is shaping a feeling and capturing a moment. This works well with high fashion because it creates longevity. Older and newer generations can always connect with the brand. As the label continues to be shaped by new hands they’ll never lose touch with how they make a woman feel.

Fashion Campaign Analysis: Miu Miu FW18 "The Conversation"

The Prada sister label, Miu Miu, continues to design collections outside the traditional facets of fashion and stand for conscious femininity. Miuccia Prada brought the label into being to unleash her utmost creative ideas. Bringing order to chaos, she has created a label that is very contemporary. This is smart on her part because this is a brand that will always be relevant. As we have seen, the trend is vintage. Last year we saw 90s fashion then early 2000s, 70s, and now 80s make their comebacks. But, in order to keep having influential brands they have to modernize. It is fine to flirt with the past, but they have to evolve in some way to make it fresh. This is exactly what Miu Miu has done in their latest collection. Snaps to them.

As I mentioned, the vintage vibes are thriving, and a lot of fashion campaigns have left us feeling nostalgic. Miu Miu brought a new tone to the overly used narrative. Their most recent campaign “The Conversation” is set in a 1960’s suburban home. The images captured by the talented, Alasdair McLellan, are punctual and make you feel the power within the image. These are tenacious, confident women and they don’t want you to forget it. Everything from the thick eyeliner, high hair, strong gaze and posing is bold. In a way, it enchants the viewer with such striking details. You want to know what these women are up to because when they get there something big is going to happen. The spellbinding talents are Elle Fanning, Rowan Blanchard, Raffey Cassidy, Adwoa Aboah, Kesewa Aboah, Georgia Jagger, Ariel Nicholson, and Zoe Thaets. True visionaries.

It is great to be inspired by other eras. It forces people to get really creative, and it is always fascinating to see old things in new ways. I am ready for the next decade though, and I am excited to see where it takes fashion.

Fashion Campaign Analysis: Gucci FW18 "The Collectors"

Gucci, Gucci, Gucci. The label has reigned supreme the past two years, and they aren’t letting up quite yet. Their latest campaign “The Collectors,” pays tribute to the Gucci tribe of outsiders who are “imagined as a group of collectors of art and artefacts.” This group of extraordinary individuals has met at a grand dinner in Austria to celebrate their unique identities that will hopefully come to life in a fashion film that has yet to be released.

Art director Christopher Simmonds and photographer Glen Luchford were given the task of interpreting the FW18 collection. Gucci has such an eclectic, luxurious style I have a sense that the inspiration came from the idea that their clothing is a collectible in itself. Emphasizing that every person has at least one thing they indulge in, and it’s something to share with pride. I think with a lot of Gucci’s campaigns there is much room for interpretation, which is why it sits well with so many consumers. Not to mention, Alessandro Michele took his role of Creative Director at Gucci in 2015, which became a pivotal moment for them. Ever since Michele has re-energized and re-imagined the label. Gucci has become a leader in storytelling. Always taking it to the next level.

There is this idea of narrative that I think brings fashion to life. As an art director, photographer, stylist, hair and makeup artist, model, etc. you have to emulate the brand within its current collection. If we break it down to its core the vision often starts with the clothing including insight from someone like Michele on his inspirations for the collection. Here you see the color palettes, details, and fabrics used in the clothing that will ultimately help shape the narrative. From there every piece of the campaign must come together to tell the same story. Model casting is key. Location scouting is key. Hair and make up is key. If one thing is off it can ruin everything. Example being, 90s grunge styled hair and makeup probably won’t look good on a model wearing a long chiffon dress at French château. You would want a softer, paired down look to compliment the pieces. However, something like this can be done to create contrast, but you would have to pull it off really, really well. Ultimately, all campaigns create an experience for the viewer and it can be mediocre or great. We want the latter.

Bringing together the talents of Michele, Simmonds, Luchford, and their team members is obviously going to create phenomenal work. Together they have created a brand that keeps us waiting and wanting to see more every season. And, I think that’s the goal, for the story to be never-ending.

Fashion Campaign Analysis: Maje SS18 "Dream Tomorrow"

The Maje Spring-Summer 2018 “Dream Tomorrow” campaign was my favorite of the season. The French-Parisian label celebrated their 20th anniversary with messages of love, friendship, and family. Focusing on the values and places that have shaped the brand they commissioned four different artists for each theme. Friendship in Morocco shot by Thurstan Redding, family in Paris shot by Mark Peckmezian, and love in London shot by Coco Capitan with paintings by Frances Wilks. Director Simon Cahn captured the allegorical world through video. It gave young artists the opportunity to help rewrite the future of Maje and will serve as a landmark for the label’s development. After analyzing the campaign and appreciating everything it set out to do, there were three key factors that contributed to its success.

Creating a lifestyle is key to gaining a loyal customer base, a brand people can get behind. Maje promotes individuality. It is something they have always done and continue to implement well. While keeping up with current trends, Maje creates collections that are catered to an individual’s passions and lifestyle. The campaign transcends itself with model Yasmin Wijnaldum, the 20-year-old muse. She is a symbol of youth evolving through change. Wijnaldum represents the woman’s woman, the Maje woman. Someone who is quirky yet elegant, loves her family, is inspired by culture, and finds expression in fashion no matter what stage in life they are in. Through her, Maje is personified, that helps consumers to engage with the brand.

Brands must be authentic when crafting messages. For example, you feel the passion within the Artistic Director, Judith Milgrom, has for her craft. This helped shape the tone of the entire campaign. People react to this, which is why their tagline “Dream Tomorrow” carries much more weight than usual. Again, the three artistic mediums, photography, painting, and video, show the campaign is both raw and refined. Brands must find that balance of being authentic and keeping it professional, because at the end of the day they are still trying to sell products.

Brands go through periods of transformation, but the successful ones never dismiss their original values. Maje was built on family and love, an example being the “name is a combination of the initials of Milgrom’s loved ones.” From the beginning, Maje set out to be an accessible luxury brand for women. And, for Milgrom, it has always been a family affair being inspired from a child to now. Since then the label has seen much development throughout the years, which includes expanding to 350 stores worldwide. Capitalizing on their past accomplishments they can look forward to a sure future. The campaign is an ode to the places and people that have helped support, curate, and rewrite the Maje story. It is a reflection of the past twenty years and celebration of what is to come. This passage of time shows that everything starts and ends with a vision.

Maje is the perfect example of having a clear and flexible mission statement. The label had a lot to leverage with it being a twenty-year anniversary, and they used the opportunity to create something special. But, the strategies highlighted here can be applied in small ways to make any campaign stand out.