Cool Campaign: Stella McCartney and Bambi
Fashion ads are often more creative and visually inspiring than they get credit for. One of my favorite things about receiving the September Vogue is checking out all the cool ad campaigns designers come up with – which models will be featured? How will they show the clothes? Who is the photographer? How is the concept going to grab our attention?
Kim had the great idea to feature unique and interesting fashion ad campaigns in a new column here. First up, the new Stella McCartney campaign featuring Disney characters.
(source: WWD)
As you flip through your September issues this month, some familiar furry friends will be waiting to greet you. This season, Stella McCartney and photographer Ryan McGinley have teamed up with everyone’s favorite woodland creature, Bambi, for the Stella McCartney Fall 2009 ad campaign. “The clothes in the campaign are looking quite fierce, and we wanted to contrast them with the innocence of Bambi” says Stella.
(source: WWD)
Joining Bambi in the spread are his pals Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk. The campaign features photographs of model Sigrid Agren in the woods of Worcestershire, England. Layered on top are illustrations of Bambi and friends. Intrigued?
Personally, I’m loving the boots that Sigrid is rocking and her disheveled grungy look. But while I do love Bambi, I think the illustration of the characters takes away from the whole feel of the campaign a bit. There seems to be more attention paid to the characters rather than the clothes.
What do you guys think? Are you into the whole cartoonish feel? Or do you think the addition of Bambi was a bad decision? If you like the ad, or you want to see it in person, it can be found in this month’s French, Italian and British Vogue, along with V and Another Magazine.
Either way, let us know your thoughts on this ad in the comments section!
Posted on on September 24, 2009 / Filed Under: Fashion News / Tags: Bambi, Cool Campaign, Disney, September, Stella McCartney
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amber
I agree, it takes attention away from the model. Because Bambi is the familiar character, one is bound to notice it first. And the cartoon also looks brighter than the model and her clothes in the photos.The concept is fresh, but it kinda defeats its main purpose: to advertise the clothes.
Alana @ The Comm Ave Strut
Aww I wish they’d chosen a different disney film. Bambi always makes me extremely sad…
Luisa
Yeah, this one’s a flop. The outdoor backdrops are lovely, but it really should’ve come down to using them alone or somehow incorporating the characters in a closer-up shot. As it is you barely even notice the model.
Leira
Agreed. Everything else is so much duller than the bright cartoons. There’s a difference between “contrast” and “makes no sense for the characters to be there.”
Jessica
I agree, though I like the idea. I think they could have done a better job of making the characters not stand out so vividly, a la Pete’s Dragon or Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Perhaps if they had toned down the colors a little?
Molly
I kind of like these ads. They draw attention first to the characters, which is important for actually getting people to look at them, and then to the clothes. I think the point was to have the characters stand out vividly.
Also, perhaps the “Bambi” thing is a nod toward the fact that Stella McCartney produces animal cruelty free clothing? Just a thought.
Moran
Really don’t like it….
Jennifer
I really don’t like this. The cartoons are too bright. I love the backdrop of the woods and if they were to take out the animals I think it would be a nice ad, but the contrast between the cartoon animals to the real animals to the model is too much. There is too much going and the person looking at the ad can not figure out where they are supposed to be looking.
Kellie Huish
I feel the campaign and the Disney characters are evoking two totally different vibes. They just don’t go together. And like Amber said, Bambi and the other characters are very familiar to us and are therefore bound to grab our attention first. I just don’t think it was the greatest idea….
Paula ♥
I’m not sure if it was the September issue, but there was one ad campaign in Vogue that was Little Red Riding Hood inspired. I thought that was awesome =D
Cara
I think it clashes too badly. Perhaps if the colors of the cartoons melded better with the clothes, or if they were all real animals. To me it is just very anachronistic.
Lo
i don’t like it at all. for one, it takes away from the clothes and secondly, it looks like an ad for disney. FAIL.
hannah
i like it…i think they should have put the model more in the forefront to be more noticed, but i think its a cute ideas
Alaina W
This thing is so weird… beauty comes from expression within some sort of confinement not expression that’s so everywhere you can’t tell where it is. This has no boundaries.
myvogue
I really love how natural she looks – messy hair, no make up. It’s really beautiful!
faye
I tend to agree with Molly.
Some of us are forgetting that Stella’s line is vegan, so it would make sense to use a Bambi theme as opposed to a Little Red Riding Hood theme (if you recall, the wolf is killed in the end). Additionally, using live animals would go against Stella’s ethics as an animal rights advocate, so obviously that’s out of the question.
jeanie
all i realized was bambi.. i didnt even notice the model until i realized what this post was about.
Christi
I suppose I’m echoing the sentiments of many others on this post. I think the goal of showing such a strong contrast is a very interesting idea but the cartoons themselves were very distracting to me. I didn’t even look at the clothes! I suppose on a positive note it definitely captures your attention… not something you usually see flipping through the pages of your favorite fashion magazine.