Beyond just the fashion aspect, brands go the extra mile with creative campaigns

Music and entertainment is a big draw for brands to focus their marketing efforts on. Photo: Hugo Boss

Fashion campaigns are becoming more creative. No longer can brands just dress models in the latest clothes or accessories, and expect consumers to be wowed.

These days, it takes a little more creativity and narrative – or perhaps, effort – to draw in the attention.

Mediums such as music, performance and art have all become tools to the purpose. It seems that collaborations are no longer limited to designs or collections.

Hugo Boss for example, recently announced a new campaign that connects style to sound. With this, the label spotlights artistes to harness the power of performance.

The idea is to move beyond fashion through the kinetic energy of music.

Sometimes, the products take a backseat in fashion campaigns. Photo: Loewe

“From the collection and mantra to the music and movement, the (Hugo Boss) Autumn/Winter 2023 campaign is infused with an undeniable dynamism and power,” reads the statement released.

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Loewe’s new campaign gave a rare glimpse into musician Kenshi Yonezu’s creative space. He is photographed with the novels, comic books and memorabilia that shaped his youth and creative identity.

Pop-in spaces will make an appearance at the brand’s stores in Tokyo, as well.

“It’s an honour to collaborate with Kenshi Yonezu, one of the most influential music artistes in Asia,” says Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson.

He also calls the campaign a “cultural dialogue”.

“I often explore themes of male sensibility in the collection, and I think the ambiguous, introspective energy of Kenshi’s music naturally resonates with this aspect of Loewe menswear.”

Then there is the Bottega Veneta campaign that partnered with Air Afrique. Announced in June, it offers a new platform for Afro-diasporic creativity and conversation.

The airline is co-owned by Senegal, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger, Congo and Chad, and operational between 1961 and 2002.

Regarded as an important expression of recently independent countries and of a certain pan-African ideal, the airline became a major patron of arts and culture, as well as a means of crossborder transportation.

Partnerships outside the fashion realm is said to help create meaningful dialogue. Photo: Bottega Veneta

Indeed, brands want to be seen moving beyond just fashion. Like how Saint Laurent commissioned a project from contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

On June 26, over approximately thirty minutes, 40,000 choreographed fireworks shells were launched between the sea and the sky, creating a magnificent 400-metre-wide and 130-metre-high spectacle.

The event marked Japan’s first daytime fireworks display and also preluded Cai’s solo exhibition Ramble In The Cosmos – From Primeval Fireball Onward, at the National Art Centre, Tokyo, which opened that same day.

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The initiative is said to be Saint Laurent’s ongoing mission, under the initiative of creative director Anthony Vaccarello, to support excellence in various creative fields including visual arts, cinema and music.

Runway shows will still be a permanent fixture in the industry, but creative campaigns are really breaking out of the box.

Models will, of course, be a staple too, but even with this, we are seeing brands rely more on celebrities.

Like how Marc Jacobs used Kim Kardashian to front its Autumn/Winter 2023 campaign.

You could say that famous personalities at least have a story to tell, which helps in making them more three-dimensional.

Again, this hinges on the hopes that a more storified campaign can work to spark conversation and earn loyal customers.