Back in July, Prada revealed its AW24 campaign to the world, starring Hunter Schafer, Harris Dickinson, Ma Yili and Damson Idris. In the Willy Vandeperre-shot images, the stars are sitting around nattering to one another, but can also be seen speaking into some old wired phones, the type your mum might have had back in the 00s. Each actor did a brilliant job of looking extremely engrossed in the conversation, which begged the question: who was on the other end of the line? Well, it was only author, actress and filmmaker Mirandy July!
In the second part of its “Now That We Are Here” project, the house revealed today that it’s collaborating with July to bring the imagined conversations with Schafer and co to life. Described as “a real-life mirror of the telephone exchanges at the heart of the campaign”, billboards in London, New York, LA, Milan and Bangkok will advertise a toll-free number that fans can ring up to speak with July. Though it won’t actually be her live on the other end of the line, callers will hear a pre-programmed rendering of the actor’s voice which interprets the conversation based on a script written by July herself. Different caller responses will trigger “a multitude of variations” according to Prada, so give her a call and see what she says!
Outside of the campaign, July has enjoyed a strong creative partnership with the brand. In March, Miranda July: New Society debuted at the Fondazione Prada in Milan, a retrospective that charts the last 30 years of her career. The exhibition included screenings of her entire filmography, including features and shorts, plus “F.A.M.I.L.Y” (Falling Apart Meanwhile I Love You), a new video installation created in collaboration with seven strangers from Instagram.
Back in May, our art and photography editor Emily Dinsdale spoke to July about her new novel All Fours, a story about sexual obsession and romantic desire. The wide-ranging conversation covered everything from happiness versus contentment, fantasy versus reality, and desire as a transformative power. “Most of us have some part of ourselves that we’ve unconsciously starved,” the author told Dinsdale. “And sometimes someone will come along – it could be the most random person – and they’ll see that starving thing. And so that part of you suddenly just emerges and is desperately hungry.” Click here to read the full interview.
Miranda July: New Society is on at Fondazione Prada’s Osservatorio until October 28
Scroll through the gallery above to see the entire Prada AW24 campaign