BTS: FW16 Campaign Shoot
“They say that art imitates life. The truth is that life and art are one and the same thing. They are both the unique manifestation of our creativity, talents, and tastes being focused and applied to make something.”
Several themes intersect in our FW16 collection. Each season we begin with a basic thread that flows through all the elements at play: color, vibe, shape, context. In studio we were exploring the graphic shapes of Brancusi sculpture, playing with texture by taking cues from basket weaving, fur sculpture, and captivated by the clean minimalism of Parisian interior design that’s so of the moment right now. We are always very heavily drawn to this ‘art is life, life as art’ theme, and as our FW16 inspiration was so saturated we wanted to bring this into the campaign.
In our creative process we dedicate a lot of time to moodboarding; compiling imagery to help us articulate the direction that our work is taking and fine-tune each element. It’s also how we communicate the vision of a shoot and is an absolute necessity with the preparation; realising wardrobe, props, lighting and art direction. But ultimately each shoot always seems to have a mind of it’s own. The team’s mood and the vibe of the day plays a critical role in how it all turns out.
To capture this feeling of art is life and life is art, we wanted to create a setting that was intentionally transitional and undefined - a blank canvas so to speak. We liked that this allowed the space itself to play a role in the shoot. In some shots it feels like she is at home, in others she could be moving out, always in a very contrived creative space as if she exists in an art gallery.
A sheet thrown over a chair… paintings leaning against the wall… all helped evoke the sense of a transient or transitional space. The Vitra cork stools were the perfect mix of shape and texture and added a sculptural element to articulate the theme of this collection.
Dana (from Spot 6 Management) embodies all the qualities of the Opelle girl. Natural, effortless and strong. She seamlessly stepped into character and provided the perfect level of intensity for the season without being overbearing. She was ideal for the moody but simultaneously calm feeling we wanted to evoke. It feels like she’s been there for an eternity but could dissipate at any moment.
There was definitely some tangible magic that happened over the course of the shoot. All the elements came together seamlessly to bring the concept to life. Our team was phenomenal and worked extremely well together. We have a wonderful relationship with Michael, the photographer having collaborated with him on many projects. He always brings that extra touch of spontaneity that gives it all life.
