The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Moncler

Moncler’s fall campaign is aptly called “We Love Winter,” in a nod to the season that has made the brand’s signature puffer jackets successful. Australian photographer Chris Colls portrayed a range of personalities wrapped in them for black-and-white images evoking an intimate feel and sense of togetherness during a time of rediscovering the value of human connection. Capturing the warmth of family portraits, American actresses Robin Wright with her daughter Dylan Penn; French music artist Lala &ce and her mother Noëlle; Japanese car racing enthusiast Maï Ikuzawa and her sons Arto and Milo, as well as models Mao Xiaoxing and Mika Schneider are seen touching, smiling, kissing and embracing each other. “The most important thing here was the authenticity of intimacy.…We wanted everyone to show their individuality in an environment that encouraged the talent to be as open and honest with each other as possible,” Colls explained. — Martino Carrera 

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Kate Spade

Kate Spade New York’s fall campaign shines a spotlight on the resilience of New York, and they’re doing it all while dancing. Choreographer and director Dylan Pearce once again creates the campaign, along with a group of New York dancers. Set to a modern rendition of “Downtown,” the performers use dance as a mode of transporation, showcasing the brand’s fall 2021 collection. The campaign highlights the next iteration of its iconic Spade Flower Jacquard collection.”New York City is our brand’s hometown and our backyard. It’s a constant source of inspiration, and this seaosn, we’re falling in love with our city all over again,” said Jenny Campbell, chief marketing officer of Kate Spade New York. “Through our continued partnership with Dylan Pearce, we are  rediscovering what we love about our city, while celebrating the resilience of New York City, and enouraging others to do the same in their own hometowns.” 
The brand builds upon its ongoing partnership with The National Council for Mental Wellbeing and will donate an additonal $75,000 to provide Mental Health First Aid training, along with mental health education workshops, to New Yorkers within the artistic community.
The ads will run via large-scale out-of-home advertising placements across New York City, including billboards in Midtown West and in Soho, digital bus shelters and full subway station takeovers at Rockefeller Center, Columbus Circle and Broadway/Lafayette. It will also run across Kate Spade’s website and social channels and paid social. The brand will also activate on TikTok with a hashtag challenge, inviting the TikTok community from around the globe to take part. The challenge will launch with creators Kelli Erdmann and Alex Wong dancing through New York City. Gus Powell shot the campaign, which was styled by Stella Greenspan. The creative agency is Zast & Co. — Lisa Lockwood

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: GCDS

Italian streetwear brand GCDS has always embraced an unapologetic approach to fashion, often pushing the boundaries of what good taste represents today. For its fall 2021 ad campaign, it tapped Cynthia Arrebola, Cup Kase and Lucas Wright — a cast of unspoiled talents — to front images by London-based photographer Jack Bridgland. In line with its pop-tinged and cheeky attitude, the brand outfitted the talents in the most flamboyant fall concoctions, including faux-fur clogs, barely there tops made of cascading rhinestones and crystals, fuzzy mohair crop tops and logoed grills, all evoking a rebellious spirit that recalls the late ’90s and early Aughts music videos from the likes of Eminem. – Martino Carrera

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein has released the latest chapter in its #Mycalvins movement: The Language of Calvin Klein, a multimedia campaign exploring self-expression through the words one speaks and clothes one wears. The ads, which break Sept. 9, feature Damson Idris, screen and stage actor; Deb Never, singer, songwriter and vocalist; Dominic Fike, singer, songwriter and actor; Jennie, global artist and performer; Francesca Scorsese, actor and filmmaking student; Kaia Gerber, model, actor and book club host, and Moses Sumney, singer, writer and storyteller.

The ads were shot by Renell Medrano and Hong Jang Hyun, with video done by Rubberband, the directing duo of Jason Filmore Sondock and Simon Davis. Vignettes of each talent capture individual expressions of language in the real world such as reciting routines, daydreaming out loud, putting pen to paper, talking to oneself, poetry, letting it out to a stranger and pausing to think. Featured in the campaign is fall 2021’s product offerings centered on elevated modern essentials with an emphasis on comfort and minimalism, ranging from underwear and jeans to hoodies, crppped jackets and T-shirts.

— Lisa Lockwood 

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: DKNY

 DKNY’s fall campaign, titled “Do Your Thing,” was inspired by members of its community for whom authenticity is a way of life. The group hails from all over the country, but what they have in common is much more important than what sets them apart. The women’s and men’s campaign features Michelle Li, Blu De Tiger, Jay Ulloa, YungBBQ (Alexis Feacher), Kahlil Beth, Analisse Rodriguez, Tiffany Bouelle and Ines Rau. Some of the styles in the campaign are part of DKNY24/7, a capsule wardrobe based on key separates and a signature handbag collection. The ads were photographed by Matteo Montanari and Hart Leshkna and styled by Andrew Mukamal. The campaign, which breaks Sept. 8, will appear in digital paid media, as well as outdoor media. — Lisa Lockwood 

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Michael Michael Kors and Michael Kors Men

Michael Michael Kors and Michael Kors Men’s have released their fall campaign, featuring Bella Hadid, Cindy Bruna and Geron McKinley.
The campaign is a continuation of the brand’s 2021 theme, “the eye has to travel,” a line borrowed from fashion icon and editor Diana Vreeland. The fall 2021 campaign is all about adventure, discovery and reconnecting with friends.
Shot in Brooklyn and Queens by photographer Sean Thomas and video director Shane Sigler, ads capture Hadid and her friends walking the Brooklyn Bridge, biking the boardwalk, taking a moped ride in Long island City and toasting on a rooftop.
Outerwear is a major focus, along with key handbags such as the new Karlie and Lina bags for women and print backpacks for men. 
“As life gets back to normal, I think everyone is looking forward to venturing out and exploring,” said Michael Kors. “For fall we’re taking our fans on a journey just outside of Manhattan and reminding them of all the things we’ve missed over the past year and a half.”  
Print ads are running in fall issues worldwide, and images will also appear in digital outlets, as well as social media platforms and traditional outdoor media placement. 
—     Lisa Lockwood

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Anne Klein

Anne Klein’s new fall campaign recognizes women and their busy lifestyles.
The ads feature Maggie Rawlins, a registered nurse who traveled from her North Carolina home to New York City to work in several hospitals in Queens when the pandemic first hit. She is also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit rookie and the face of Anne Klein’s latest fragrance introduction: Love, Anne.
The ad campaign was shot in New York City by photographer Seiji Fujimori. It features Anne Klein separates and accessories that go from working from home to the office.
“We continuously strive to create a closer bond with our customers,” said Effy Zinkin, chief operating officer of WHP Global, which owns Anne Klein. “We have developed a successful Instagram series, ‘Women Who Do,’ which showcases inspiring women from diverse backgrounds and careers. We continue to listen to what our customers want…great products and an authentic human connection with our brand. They want to see a reflection of their personal style and the values with which they identify.”
The brand targets specific images and styles to individual audiences based on data and digital. — Lisa Lockwood  

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Michael Kors

Michael Kors’ fall 2021 campaign toasts the designer’s 40th anniversary. Photographed    by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the campaign features Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Murphy and Liya Kebede, alongside Bella Hadid, Adut Akech and Vittoria Ceretti.
Shot on location in such places as the Shubert Theatre, the Booth Theatre and Sardi’s restaurant, the campaign seeks to capture the big city glamour, attitude and energy of New York City.
“When I look back over 40 years, I think about all the amazing memories, energy and fabulous people that New York City has brought to my life and my career,” said Michael Kors. “This collection, and this campaign, is a celebration of the rebirth of city life —of stepping out, finding the joy in getting dressed and making the streets your runway. It’s my fantasy night out in the Theatre District.”
Among the looks are dramatic coats layered over leg-revealing skirts, sequined gowns and dresses and lean trousers. Looks from the MK40 Reissue Capsule, a special curaiton of items inpsired by the designer’s archives, are also featured.
The global campaign breaks this month with print ads running in fall issues worldwide. The images will also appear in digital outlets as well as on social media platforms. — Lisa Lockwood

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Miu Miu

Miu Miu’s love affair with Emma Corrin, who portrayed Princess Diana of Wales in season four of “The Crown,” goes back several seasons. For the third time, the luxury company has tapped the British actress to front one of its ad campaigns, this time for fall 2021. The campaign is lensed by Steven Meisel, a house favorite. Building on the whimsical image of the fall show staged in February against the landscapes of Cortina d’Ampezzo, in the Dolomites, Corrin is captured in the studio against solid backdrops offering different interpretations of her personality. She’s seen smiling childishly or staring seriously into the camera, acting seductively or nonchalantly. The images are flanked by five short movies, in which the actress shares memories and anecdotes about her life. Whether they are real or fictional is a question left unanswered. — Martino Carrera

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Pinko

Pinko’s fall 2021 ad campaign takes model Lexi Boling on a whimsical journey at an amusement park replete with tulip-shaped teacups attractions, Ferris wheels, roller coasters and pendulum rides. Despite its “Alice in Wonderland” inspiration, the highly saturated and contrasted images shot throughout the day provide a dark-tinged vibe, which Boling counterbalances with her statuary and ironic poses clad in outfits from the contemporary brand’s fall collection. The campaign was lensed by Federico de Angelis under the creative direction of Riccardo Ruini, while Vittoria Cerciello styled the looks. — Martino Carrera

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Loro Piana

Luxury label Loro Piana is staying true to its mission to exalt beauty in all its forms with the fall ad campaign. After launching a new communication theme last year under the tag line “Somewhere in Loro Piana,” the brand has this time tapped Los Angeles-based female photographer Zoë Ghertner to portray top models Amber Valletta and Mica Argañaraz wrapped in the brand’s luxurious and cocooning knits. Ghertner’s delicate and candid images, their bright lighting and the models’ effortless poses exude a certain subdued sensuality and femininity, which every woman can identify with. — Martino Carrera

The Best Fashion Ad Campaigns of Fall 2021: Anne Klein

Riccardo Tisci wanted to explore the concept of duality for Burberry’s fall 2021 campaign, mixing candid backstage shots from the brand’s latest show and “raw, classic studio stills” captured by longtime collaborators Mert and Marcus. “This season is very much about freedom of expression and the importance of exploring creativity. I really wanted to build on these notions and have the collection captured from two different creative perspectives,” said Tisci. — Natalie Theodosi.