Marc Jacobs captures the spirit of Instagram and his archive of influencers in his indulgently diverse SS’16 campaign.
Marc Jacobs SS16 Campaign: Lana Wachowski
Marc Jacobs is not just a collector of inspirational characters. but a one man portal for the New York Scene. Most recently, inviting Lady Gaga to his AW’16 runway, his archive of influencers is wide spread, as witnessed in his indulgently diverse SS’16 campaign. When Marc Jacobs finally arrived on Instagram this time last year and recognised it’s full potential for direct communication to his following, it felt like the last piece of the puzzle for the brand, the man - and our feeds. Despite being a late adopter, Jacobs has seen the light and embraced Instagram tightly. The Marc Jacobs SS16 campaign was celebratory of everything Instagram can be, square format obviously, but also inclusive, collective, collaborative and liberating.
Following on from a heavy weight A/W ‘15 line up with the likes of Cher, Willow Smith and Winona Ryder, Jacobs has assembled another formidable crew. Delving into his magical toy box of fabulous famous friends, he has come out with his hands brimming with multi-ethnicity, intergenerational subculture stars. Shot by David Sims, icons like Bette Midler, Lana Wachowski, Beth Ditto, drag star Milk, Juliette Lewis, were shot in their own right without over pandering to the camera. Almost as if Jacobs had squeezed all of his besties into a photobooth for the good times. Katie Grand and David Sims were the creative team behind the campaign, that brought the images to life with an amalgamation of British coolness and Americana overload. Red, White and Blue.
Marc Jacobs created a unique consumer facing campaign, via Instagram and social media, that reflected not only his inspiration but also his broadening audience. Jacobs told the Business of Fashion “The campaign was about the people that inspire us, I didn’t want to let go of that”. This undiluted translation of inspiration to fashion is the x-factor in the campaign, and the reason why it is so significant. So often, inspirational icons are referenced but the front facing images and campaigns fail to show anything but models. This campaign had more diversity in it’s little finger than many show in a whole hand. Creativity is inspired by the spectrums of life and the different forms they take, but more often than not, the outcome transforms into single serving portions.
Congratulations to Marc and his creative team because this is what diversity in fashion looks like.
Marc Jacobs SS16 Campaign: Beth Ditto and wife
Marc Jacobs SS16 Campaign: Milk
Marc Jacobs SS16 Campaign: Bette Midler
Words: Elli Weir
Photography: David Sims