Greg Kadel and David LaChapelle for Passionata
spring/summer 2009


Passion with a dangerous undertone

The world of the lingerie label Passionata is visualized by world known photographers and filmmakers. The products of these renowned artists such as Greg Kadel or David LaChapelle have one in common: their campaigns for Passionata are made of a dangerously vibrating passion which sourrounds the woman who is at the same time an innocent woman as she is a ruthless child; she is a narcissus, enjoying her own sexuality, loving herself for her appearance, her image.

Women in the 80ies

The definition of the Passionata woman was developed in the founding years of the label in the late 80ies. The 1980ies have been the first time that women began to work in male "white collar" jobs after they had the chance and - this includes the legal right - to study at the universities of their choice in the 70ies, for example at the University Oxford in England, because many colleges had been single sex only. Until the same time (married) women could not decide freely where to work; in Austria the married man had the legal right to cancel her job whenever he wanted; even against her will. In many other countries women had no right to vote. The great turn was in the 80ies and women rights have been set into practice for the first time - with the help of women who started to fight for in the 60ies. In July 2007 - after 645 years university education in Austria - the first female was inaugurated for leading a university. In early 2009 she has cancelled her job because of being mobbed by her male colleagues. It is not so long ago that women have the same rights; perhaps because men can not distinguish between the intellectual abilities and the fascination these women can express.

Passionata expresses this new, self assured femininity, which emerged after the revolutionary years of feminism and its androgyny fashion which was a mean for communicating the wish for the same rights. These are the sources for the angel like devils in Passionata campaigns, who seduce playfully and would never follow any rules of perfection but live their femininity. Passionata is a label of the French Chantelle Group (since 1876) passionata.com.

Greg Kadel

New York based Greg Kadel is the photographer of the new spring/summer 2009 collection. The story: a woman (Brazilian Ana Beatriz Barros) auto-portraits herself in a velvet cabin. By watching how she photographs herself the spectator recognizes that she is neither an angel nor wild; she enjoys what she portraits - she loves her own image.

Ana Beatriz Barros works since she is 14 years old, discovered at a casting for Elite Model. She has made campaigns for Guess, Chanel, Gucci, Missoni, Versace... Greg Kadel's editorial work can be found in such famous magazines like Vogue. He photographed campaigns for Valentino, Vuitton, Calvin Klein or H&M gregkadelstudios.com.


David La Chapelle

Video: This Passionata clip (produced in June 2007) is directed by David LaChapelle in a Hollywood-glam inspired bonbon pink setting. LaChapelle’s woman (Brazilian Isabeli Fontana - discovered as a 13 years' old by Elite Model and with 24 mother of two kids) is riding on an ice horse, seductively melting; the ‘multi-layering’ of the story - the innocence of a sexy woman - increased by contrasts such as cold-hot, playful childhood-wild passion … is significant for the fashion by Passionata.

In the late 80ies Andy Warhol discovered David LaChapelle's talent for capturing glamour. His baroque, bright colored photographs of celebrities from L.A. to Paris, his movie clips, .. are exhibited in galleries, museums world wide and published in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Vogue... LaChapelle's work will be presented in Mexico (davidlachapellemexico2009.com) under the title "Delirium of Reason" from 4 Feb until 14 June 2009 davidlachapelle.com.


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