Gigi Hadid Stars in Prada's Fall Winter 2019 Campaign Video
The latest Prada campaign seems to exist in a post-apocalyptic world. Vegetations and flowers grow in an industrial warehouse and of course, everyone is extremely well-dressed. If I live through the upcoming apocalypse, I only want to do so if I’m dressed in head-to-toe Prada.
The campaign, which was filmed by artist Willy Vanderperre, is equal parts beautiful and ominous. Throughout the one minute and 30-second clip, the camera pans impossibly fast, spinning around the room in a 360 degree motion. Watching the campaign (which I’ve been doing all morning) my vision blurred and I felt slightly disoriented, but in a good way, overwhelmed by all the gorgeous fashion looks. The cinematography of Prada’s campaign is similar to the tripping scene in the summer’s horror blockbuster, Midsommar, the background warps to create a hallucinogenic effect inciting a physical response that mimics the characters in the video.
The floral trope throughout the video is echoed in the brand's collection which can be summed up as: floral meets industrial cool. Combat boots are paired with gowns that have vines of flowers protruding out of them. Delicate lace is styled with sparkling heels. Fittingly, models wear pieces from Prada’s Frankenstein-inspired collection and military-esque jackets, adding to the science-experiment vibe of the campaign.
“The concept is expounded through the surroundings as well as the figures within: here, a tension between man and nature is explored through the attraction of opposites, through images where an interior becomes an exterior, wild nature encroaching on industrial precision, delicate flowers and plants emerging to invade a harsh concrete cityscape,” Prada’s website states. “It acts as a modern romantic metaphor, for a coming together of different worlds,” the statement continues.
The perspective of the video makes you feel as if you’re in a real-life video game, rushing from person to person on a quest to win a game. Pushing aside a plastic drop cloth, the main characters stumble upon a laboratory. Enter: Gigi Hadid. She’s wearing a baby blue dress, belted at the waist in leather. Her hair is gathered in a ponytail and she’s wearing glasses—a look that says “I’m here to get stuff done.” Her presence in the campaign feels like we’ve unlocked a secret level in the video game. Gigi messes around with a power breaker, sparks fly, lightning bolts erupt, and the video transports us to another world, Stranger Things territory.
One of our other fave models, Nathan Westling, also makes an appearance in the campaign. In March, Nathan came out as transgender and quickly after made his menswear debut walking for Prada's menswear spring 2020 show in Shanghai, China. Since then, he’s graced the cover of i-D and L’Uomo Vogue magazine. We can’t get enough of him, so we were thrilled when we spotted Nathan in the Prada campaign.
After Gigi summons electricity, we’re transported to a rooftop, the camera panning to the brand’s famous nylon backpack—now eco-friendly!—before cutting back to a montage of models lounging inside. The music slows down and everything feels calmer. Whatever buttons Gigi pressed on that switchboard must have worked because it appears we’ve won the game, and Prada’s won our hearts with this season’s coolest campaign video.
In honor of the campaign launch, the brand also shared a Spotify playlist of songs featured in the video, which we plan to listen to for the rest of the week.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
