SS20 Campaigns That Are Killing It
As brands have started revealing their SS20 campaigns, one thing’s become clear: they are sparing no expense. Whether it’s Rodarte’s celebrity-laden lookbook or Versace’s technology-infused imagery, these campaigns are bigger, better, bolder.
RODARTE
Rodarte is no rookie when it comes to striking campaign concepts. In the span of a couple years, the brand has managed to launch two entirely visual initiatives as an alternative to taking to the catwalk. While it seemed their FW18 collection would be hard to beat with its inclusion of Kirsten Dunst’s pregnancy announcement, the Mulleavy sisters outdid themselves with their SS20 release. In addition to opting out of a runway show, Rodarte also opted out of hiring traditional models (and even sent a twinge of nostalgia into the hearts of its followers). You can see their lookbook stippled with the who’s who of the celebrity realm.
Set against an ethereal backdrop, we spot the likes of Lili Reinhart, the Haim sisters, and Yalitza Aparicio draped in the stuff of pastel dreams. Those that were fans of Mad Men and Bring It On would have also been ecstatic to find January Jones standing in frame with her former on-screen daughter, Kiernan Shipka and Gabrielle Union starring in the same campaign as Kirsten Dunst. Needless to say, the brand had fans over the moon witnessing these lovely ladies decked out in tulle, pearls, and translucent opera gloves.
courtesy of Rodarte | Photography Daria Kobayashi Ritch
COACH
Since we’re already on the subject of star-studded concepts, we can’t help but mention Coach’s SS20 campaign. With the likes of J.Lo, Michael B. Jordan, and Yara Shahidi at the helm, the brand is certainly making a bang with its stellar casting. We see swaths of New York stretching out behind them while each holds some of the newest Coach product, with decadent mocha, olive, and ecru hues being staples against the flattering silhouettes of the pieces.
There’s this effortless coolness to the imagery that makes you feel like you, too, could be transported to the streets of Manhattan or overlooking the New York skyline if you just purchased one of Coach’s SS20 releases.
VERSACE
J.Lo certainly is keeping herself busy between the Super Bowl halftime show and all the campaigns she’s headlining. In addition to working with Coach, she is also the face of Versace’s SS20 campaign with Kendall Jenner. In an effort to muse over the marriage between technology and fashion, the campaign features the very same green, tropical print that J.Lo unforgettably donned on the 2000 Grammy Awards red carpet. As an homage to that inimitable look and the consequential launching of Google Images, we can see J.Lo standing in front of a pane of glass with a keyboard projected onto it and the words “Jennifer Lopez Versace” typed in the search bar.
GUCCI
In truly bizarre fashion, Gucci’s SS20 campaign focused less on the the new releases and more on the horses that played center stage in every shot. The aim was to show a “celebration of the paradoxical” and I think the brand absolutely delivered, in a beautiful way. Whether there’s a model in a pool, outside a carwash, or sitting down to tea, they’re invariably alongside a horse.
The anomalous visuals certainly capture one’s attention and draw the eye in, first to the horse, and then to the brand’s newest pieces. Besides the incongruous combination of elements, it also seems that Gucci may be making reference to their signature horsebit detailing.
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Naomi. Naomi. Naomi. Needless to say, Naomi was the face for Vivienne Westwood’s SS20 campaign. For her to pose nude for a brand, there’s probably something really special about the concept and the SS20 imagery proves that to be the case. Wearing nothing but a large, black, tulle hat in one photo, Naomi bears it all while being set against a fluorescent background. It’s clear that Andreas Kronthaler wanted all the attention to be on the pieces and therefore took minimalism to a whole new level. In other campaign pictures, Naomi can be seen standing beside Vivienne Westwood herself, both casting shadows against the bare wall behind them while taking up exaggerated poses.
The mix of striking visual elements and the bare-it-all attitude is illustrated so well in this campaign; there’s just something bewitchingly eclectic about it that you can’t help but be drawn in.
words Kate Macchi
