GIRL POWER: Etienne Aigner is going edgy for fall with a new ad campaign photographed by Jennifer Livingston. The ads feature model Christina Kruse and were styled by Cayli Cavaco Reck, who serves as Aigner’s brand ambassador. It was art directed by Brynn Heminway.
“We picked Christina Kruse to signify the direction the brand is taking. She’s a thoroughly modern female with her own distinct beauty and strength. It was important to us to try and capture the feeling of a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, a purveyor of her brand,” said Daniela Anastasio Bardazzi, creative director of Etienne Aigner. In the ad, Kruse poses in a big hat, which covers her eyes, and she carries the Paley Satchel.
The ads will run from September through December in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour and InStyle.
Jane Seo, chief merchandising officer of Aigner, noted that the print buy is flat to a year ago. She said they also added regional marketing this fall with a pop-up kiosk at Manhattan’s Time Warner Center to support its SoHo New York flagship at 65 Greene Street. The pop-up is slated to open Sept. 11 during fashion week and run until the end of the year.
Aigner, which relaunched handbags for spring 2013, will wholesale footwear and ready-to-wear this fall. In addition to the Etienne Aigner store in SoHo and the Web site, the accessories will be available at Bloomingdale’s and Moda Operandi.