First Look: André Leon Talley as the Face of Ugg

“They contacted me, and I said, ‘Why not?’ It’s a fun thing to do,” André Leon Talley said of appearing in Ugg’s new campaign. The brand is a “staple” in his wardrobe, he added. In fact, he’s often made headlines for wearing Uggs while sitting front row at fashion shows throughout the years.

The ongoing series — titled “Feel” — launched last September by featuring artists Fulton Leroy Washington, known as Mr. Wash, and Sonya Sombreuil as part of a collaboration with Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum. Ugg, a California-based company and division of Deckers Brands, is now turning to “industry icons” who share personal stories of their lives and what fuels their creativity.

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For Talley, fashion journalist, former WWD and Vogue editor and author of 2020’s “The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir,” creativity is sparked by his curiosity and personal appetite for knowledge: “It’s my thirst for a sense of beauty, in the arts, literature, fashion…books, movies, cinema, great directors, great actors, great entertainers, great musicians, painters, architectures, everything.”

In the ads, he sports Ugg’s “Tasman” slipper and “Neumel” chukka (paired with a bold red winter coat — his favorite, he said). The photographs were shot in front of his house in White Plains, N.Y.

How does one stay creative while home during a pandemic? “One simply looks for new books or things to read or see on television,” he said. “I try to read something every day from a book. I try to read several books at a time.”

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