Tod's No_Code: The Great Escape

Using her campaign images for Tod’s No_Code’s first autumn/winter 2012 capsule collection, created in collaboration with Jefferson Hack, image-maker extraordinaire Collier Schorr here reanimates her still-life photography through the medium of collage. “Jefferson came to me with a great starting point: fabulous kids who run away from a fancy party in the city to the woods,” explains Schorr. “I saw this as a perfect merger of Jefferson’s life and my early pictures of teenagers in repose in nature.” Her work, renowned for blending photographic realism with elements of fiction and youthful fantasy, made Schorr the ideal photographer to depict this invented, Lake Sebago-set ménage à trois.

Inspired by the 24-hour, nomadic lifestyle of the Tod’s No_Code wearer and Bertolucci’s The Dreamers, the campaign depicts Maria Bradley, Yuri Pleskun and Andrey Smidl playfully frolicking with wild horses on the beach and in the woods, while wearing the collection’s new, street-savvy Boxer boot alongside its four original styles – Lace-up, Desert Boot, Chelsea and Slipper – and its classic bomber jacket.

“I think it’s so inspiring to see someone like Jefferson go into a classic brand and open it up to a new audience,” Schorr says. “And I love the androgynous direction: that boys and girls can wear the same designs and styles. There is such a thing as a perfect zip-up suede jacket, and in the case of Tod’s No_Code, it comes in so many beautiful colours and is for everyone.”

These collages effectively juxtapose the collection’s opulent gloss and vintage leathers, animal trims, soft suedes and ponyskins – created by the artisanal craftsmen at Tod’s – with cut-up imagery and found materials, lending it an overall fluidity and sense of playfulness. “My collages come from a desire to activate still pictures, and I wanted to create something that felt driven by Jefferson’s energy. He was so active on the shoot, really engaged with the models and the locations. I wanted to honour the many ways in which he invested his passion.”

Photography & Collage Collier Schorr
Styling Robbie Spencer
Hair Holli Smith using Oribe Haircare
Make-up Lisa Houghton at Tim Howard Managemnet
Models Maria Bradley at DNA Models, Andrey Smidl at New York Models, Yuri Pleskun at Request Models
Photographic Assistants John Ciamillo, Michael Aghy
Styling Assistants Elizabeth Fraser-Bell, Daniel Edley
Light Design Christopher Bisagni
Digital Operator Benedict Brink
Location Baker Camp
Production Sylvia Farago