Top 10 Campaigns of the Season

Internet & Image Ref: BoF Team. (2016). Top 10 Campaigns of the Season . Available: http://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/opinion/top-10-campaigns-spring-summer-2016. Last accessed 1st Feb 2016.

The season of Spring/Summer 2016 marked an innovation in fashion advertising. Some of the most successful campaigns within the industry were established this year including the inclusion of fictional visual characters, transgender/drag models marking a leap in gender politics and the revolutions within photography styles. This reinvention of the fashion industry can be narrowed down into ten examples of fashion advertising innovation. 

1. Marc Jacobs
The recent campaign from Marc Jacobs took to a new ground by turning its content into an online reader engaging editorial. Each shot for the collection was posted onto the social media site Instagram which supplied the brands combined audience of roughly 4.3 million with access to both the brands personal and professional accounts. Models and celebrities were handpicked from those of whom he took particular inspiration from during his 30 year long career. The narrative for the campaign was described as "My America", providing an eye opening insight into how memories and narratives are turned into art. The line up included transgender director Lana Wachowski, Bette Midler (the original gay icon) and others including supermodels like Adriana Lima and Joan Smalls. The collection was shot by David Sims along with stylist Katie Grand to create a campaign that told a story across social media rather than concentrated to the editorials of magazines. 

2. Valentino

The Spring/Summer 2016 campaign for Valentino based itself amongst the savannahs of East Africa to create the mood for his tribal associated 'Ready to Wear' collection. The collection sparked a tremendous degree of controversy for its posing amongst the tribes people of Masai when previously the designer had been accused of cultural appropriation when the show featured mostly the use of white models wearing tribal garments and corn rows. Creative Directors Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri approached Steve McCurry (photographer for National Geographic) to assist in the capturing of the models in their garments. The photographer famed in particular for his portrait of "The Afghan Girl". The collection mimics that of YSL's animals prints in the 60's or Demi Moore's giraffe posed cover for Harper Bazaar's April 2010 issue. 

3. Balmain
For Balmain's collection Creative Director Olivier Rousteing chose only "the superior" for his models, selecting icons who need only one name Claudia, Cindy and Naomi. The three models were captured in monochrome by photographer Steven Klein with the creative direction of Pascal Dangin. The images like that of Jacobs were released across the social media platform Instagram which consisted of roughly 2.2 million followers. The images were set with the hashtag #thisisHISTORY establishing the point that the brand would be making steps to move back towards its establishing history and roots. 


4. Gucci
Creative Director Alessandro Michele took to Berlin for the Gucci S/S Campaign to create a body of work that built upon the pressure felt by the brand to revive itself last year. Captured by photographer Glen Luchford the scene follows a series of parties based on Berlin rooftops capturing an alluring lifestyle of glamour and eccentric characters of a 1970's fantasy. In other images the campaign took to the nighttime scenes of subways and club toilets, even featuring skateboarders with peacocks. The Italian house placed the viewer as a spectator to a invite only party of effortless cool. 

5. Raf Simons
2016 Marked the first printed advertisement for Raf Simons's own label since stepping down from Dior. Photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Olivier Rizzo along with Simons created a series of coloured and greyscale images of disturbing scenes within a relationship between a man and a hooded figure. Upon explanation it was established that Simons had never known his grandfathers but only got to understand who they were through old photographs in which they were always depicted in the same plaid shirts and knitwear. With this association and attachment to a series of anonymous faces Simons hints at the same abases of his own grandfathers. The campaign represents an attempt to merge an empty past with that of a present. 

6. Louis Vuitton 
Vuitton redefined the role of model casting by including the character of Lightening from Final Fantasy XIII as the leading lady for its latest Petit-Malle bag. The brand worked by collaborating its French aesthetic with that of the anima world as designed by animators Tetsuya Nomura and Japanese video game developers Square Enix. Upon first glances the image appears as that of standard pink haired young girl, however upon closer examination the unblemished skin and perfectly shaped hair become more apparent in its computer formation. The campaign shot by Bruce Weber also featured other famous faces including Jaden Smith and Vuitton vixens. 

7. J.W. Anderson 
This image features Spanish model May Merino but in the style of Anderson the image is unlike that of anything seen before in fashion. The collection was placed onto that of a postage stamp sized platform and shared across dating apps like Grindr and workshops in Shoreditch's Ace hotel. Within the image featuring Merino the designer gives his collection as a series of postage stamps which forces the reader to stop and take a closer look at what the image is really saying. In addition it takes a step back from the bright coloured and high resolution images we are used to consuming. 

8. Equipment 
What was interesting about this collection by Equipment is that it began exactly where the Fall/Winter campaign ended, including the exact pose with Daria Werbowy. This instance however featured that of Kate Moss on a fictional desert island. The campaign was set in that of the West Indies and photographed by Werbowy herself. The collection featured mostly season inspired menswear shirts and celebrates the modern relationships of women. 

9. Céline
Photographer Juergen Teller was called to the plate for this campaign under the organisation of Creative Director Phoebe Philo. What was interesting with this campaign was how the models images were torn apart and pasted into coloured backdrops like that of a scrap book. The images followed on from the S/S collection which was inspired by the idea of woman dominated trips and the evolution of women. It was the idea of the city woman becoming one with the natural environment with the clothing becoming softer and more minimal. 

10. Dior Homme 
Finally is that of Dior as directed by Kris Van Assche and hot by photographer Willy Vanderperre who aimed to embody today’s young creatives across the industries. The xx’s bass player and vocalist Oliver Sim joined artist Rinus Van de Velde, model Victor Nylander and actor Alain-Fabien Delon Jr to create the body of work. The collection featured that of dark suits in modern environments with sharp lines and decorative zips. The collection was accompanied by a film entitled 'Stranger in a Room' which portrayed intimate moments throughout the creative process with Jamie xx providing the soundtrack.