STYLE GUIDE
fall 2009
by Levi's, Jimmy Choo for H&M, Boudicca

Fashion online performances
by Levi's, H&M, or Boudicca

In fall 2009, several labels publish style guides, mostly in form of videos. Levi's and H&M are two labels that have reached the highest online-video-level. H&M is publishing broadcasts in documentary style about seasonal trends while Levi's creates videos with 'Gesamtkunstwerk' signature. Boudicca, the design label from London, had a nice idea for the useful service of an observation camera.

H&M - trend broadcaster

H&M publishes videos, partly from production companies such as Barracuda TV, that provide the look behind the scenes from the shootings, the development of the trends with interview statements by head designer Ann-Sofie Johannson and practical styling tips from journalists or cooperating labels.

Before the sexy Jimmy Choo shoes and bags hit the H&M stores on 14 November 2009, the Swedish manufacturer and store chain H&M presented several video productions on the web. The company has extended the activities in online publishing in the last years to serve information from many different aspects: you can choose between star-chatter like Paris Hilton speaking about Jimmy Choo shoes and informative videos which show the former Vogue editor and Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon explaining how the pieces can be worn and mixed (video on this page). Find out more details about the cooperation on fashionoffice.org/collections/2009/hm6-2009.htm.

Levi's - Gesamtkunstwerk producer

Levi's is a leader in cool fashion videos. The chosen music becomes mostly a hit. The track 'Ghosts' with the angel-glassy voices from Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo is delivered by Ladytron. The band's name comes from the song 'Ladytron' on the debut album (1972) of Roxy Music.

For the campaign FW9, photographer Chadwick Tyler was behind the lens. The close connection of Levi's to music is reflected in the choice of the male model too: Josh Beech is frontman of the band Hildamay. Meghan Collison is the name of the female model.

For Levi's, the production of a campaign is a 'Gesamtkunstwerk' - different arts are in a perfect synthesis; from the hair (Shinichi Arima studied at the Nagasaki Beauty College, graduated from Vidal Sassoon in London), make up (Chiho Omae began her career as the assistant of Pat McGrath and worked with make-up artist Linda Cantello), to the styling (Caroline Newell studied Art at the University of Portsmouth and assisted Edward Enninful for 5 years), Levi's has selected fashion and beauty artists who are creating the looks in magazines like Elle, Vogue, i-D, or Nylon.

In many of Levi's clips, men and women are represented in emancipated roles, mostly as couples that experience together a situation or adventure. Rough circumstances - with water in a leading role (think of 'washed denim') - are a signature setting in these videos that fit to the message that Levi's jeans are made of durable material. Probably the campaigns are so successful because they are authentic; the first Levi's jeans have been men's working trousers. In fall 1934, Levi's was the first label worldwide that produced women's jeans.

Boudicca - creative use of an observation camera

Alongside to the big 'Gesamtkunstwerk'-video-productions made from many artists in a collaborative work, design labels like Boudicca find other ways to impress online. Boudicca is the brand of the Londoner design duo Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby. The spring/summer 2010 collection 'Real Girl' is presented on a website with a winsome idea: a girl is dressed in the outfits of the new collection in a room with an observation camera in one corner. While she moves, the camera captures her from every side. She moves nice... realgirl.platform13.com.


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fig.: Levi's advertising, probably from the 1940ies.