Glen O’Brien and Virgil Abloh both stressed on the ever dwindling gap between fashion, advertising, commerce and art. The space between these concepts, in recent years, has been melting into one. Although the ultimate purpose of all fashion advertising is to sell clothes, brands use their seasonal campaigns to do more than purely push product. When done right, an ad can convey the essence of a label’s identity, from the type of consumer it’s courting to the general vibe each label is looking to project. Each element of the final image is chosen with the goal of creating a succinct visual representation of the brand’s message: Casting is only one part of the puzzle, but when used effectively, it can speak volumes—a lineup of youthful waifs conveys a different message than the use of a sole, seductive supermodel.
Casting celebrities in campaigns is not new, celebs are equipped with their own built in audiences and character associations, which makes it an easier sell, provided they line up with those of the house, and over the years Oscar winners, athletes, and pop stars alike have been called in to represent fashion brands. Stars make money selling pieces of their glamorous personas to luxury corporations, and tapping into the next marketable personality, which more often than not includes the promise that they’ll wear the designer’s wares for all of their big red carpet appearances, a coup in and of itself, has become a competitive sport.
The Sacramento-based clothing company All Good completely sold out of one of their hats just because the Cavaliers superstar wore it before and after Cleveland’s 104-101 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday. The hat, which says”All Good Never Better” on the front, was quite visible during James’ postgame conference and caused All Good to sell out of their entire stock in three hours. The hat sold out simply because it was placed on a famous head, the simplest trigger for to initiate “consumer habits”.
In this picture, you see Mila Kunis’ outfit deconstructed with a few “inspired” pieces for others to copy and emulate. The power of advertising fashion and its commerce is so impactful to the point where viewers, if they are unable to attain the exact article, are willing to wear something similar, as long as it remains related to the model (actress/singer/influencer)
