Having just won the hotly contested €300,000 LVMH Prize, Marques’Almeida is in the process of releasing its AW15 visuals. We say “in the process” because the brand isn’t going about it the usual way, by flooding social media and working on an orchestrated PR push – it’s sending it out via personalised, private email.
And that’s not the only unusual thing about this campaign, the brand’s founders Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida asked photographers Ronan McKenzie, Jazmayne Mildyn and Alice Neale to create it with the following (very minimal) instructions:
“We want to see how different people interpret the season and the pieces so that we can have a campaign that is not our perspective on the collection. It can be anything as it’s supposed to be the way you see it and feel it, so it can be video, photos, text, illustrations, all of those or just one, whatever you feel like sending us! You can choose any look or looks from the season or even not work with looks.”
“Why do campaigns have to be done a certain way or other things have to be done a certain way?” said the Portugese design duo, explaining more about the rationale behind the campaign. “It’s not that we’re questioning it purposely, we just don’t understand why.” The campaign’s casting is different too – instead of professional models, the campaign stars “normal, real girls” who “give so much personality to our pieces”.
Marques’Almeida’s AW15 collection itself was inspired by the late photographer Corinne Day – in particular one photograph of Rosemary Ferguson in a pair metallic trousers that was featured in The Face magazine. Similarly metallic fabrics were used, alongside sheer chiffon, rib knits and the brand’s trademark denim – the culmination of which carried a distinct air of 90s nostalgia.
To be sent Marques’Almeida’s AW15 campaign, simply contact the brand’s head of communications Rita (rita@marquesalmeida.com) and she’ll get back to you personally.
