We Can't Stop Watching Milla Jovovich's Conceptual Campaign for Balmain
Balmain is thinking outside of the standard fashion box to get the word out on its Fall collection, rolling out to retail now. Considered "Volume 1" of a fresh communications strategy, the brand released an artful video starring actress Milla Jovovich, a project under creative director Olivier Rousteing and the French label's first chief marketing officer, Txampi Diz, with a video directed by Jake Nava and photographed by An Le.
"I seriously doubt that there could be a better fit than Milla for this campaign. There are so many reasons why," Olivier Rousteing, creative director, Balmain, explains. "She’s talented: She’s been a hero of mine since I watched (and re-watched) all of her films while growing up. Beyond being a singularly talented actor, she’s the perfect representative of the strong, confident and talented Balmain woman of today."
The list goes on. "She’s beautiful," the social media savvy designer explains, "Milla is the embodiment of the glamour of the ‘90s and she has a unique and compelling beauty that that absolutely fascinates me. Like Balmain, she manages to be both timeless and modern. She’s uniquely qualified for this project: For this collection, we wanted a new strong, message that honed in on the essential-and Milla helped us with that. Her confidence and talent comes through in each shot and in every movement of her performance."
The video is a sound and movement experiment with all eyes on Jovovich. "Above all, I wanted to present this collection in a new and unexpected manner. My team and I decided to show these designs in the exact opposite way that they first were presented, many months ago, on the runway-and, instead, concentrate on a more intimate and compelling presentation in a completely distinct environment."
For the actual process, Jovovich approached the experience with an actor's sensibility. "There was a choreographer on set that showed me some things I could do potentially, tapping my feet for instance, clapping, scraping the chair across the floor and using it in interesting ways to move around, rather than just sitting in it," the supermodel told BAZAAR.com.
But of course, it's still about the fashion. "Then when I got into the clothes, I started to visualize different types of movements I could do that would look striking and strong on camera, but that would also create some cool sounds. Jake Nava, the director, was wonderful as well because we were able to work very closely while I was being filmed. He would talk to me while I was on camera and let me know to stop for a few moments and let the camera get closer or move away and catch a particular pose or moment that he liked. He would tell me to take on different characters, expressions, give a smile, laugh."
The campaign ended up being very much about a collaboration between the actress and the brand, "This is much more about Milla doing what she does best: performing,"Rousteing says, "It shows the collection while making very clear the connection between those designs and the beauty, strength and glamour of one of my favorite actors. I see this short film as a fresh and new way to complement the campaign’s images, giving a bit of the story behind each shot."
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