The Best Fashion Campaigns of the Year So Far

Christopher Kane

Sharna Osborne’s lo-fi photography is partial to the wonderfully weird and surreal, often incorporating collage and cutouts. Having previously collaborated with Christopher Kane, Osborne returned to work with the designer on his S/S23 campaign, showcasing a collection that combined the anatomical and corporeal with the romantic and feminine: from body-cutting lingerie to pleated dresses absurdly overlaid with images of muscles. In the campaign, Osborne opts for flat pastel-coloured backgrounds with cutouts from anatomical textbooks. The models’ poses in twos – whether spinning on an office chair, or top to toe – show bodies in absurd synchrony.

Givenchy

Gigi Hadid stars alongside models Selena Forrest and Luna Passos for Givenchy’s S/S23 campaign, shot by Heji Shin. Hadid appears posed on the floor against a soft pink backdrop in a ruched neon green dress, gloves and Voyou bag, her curved body creating a feline allure, while her other portrait shows her dressed in a grungier look. As if Shin has decided to rotate her models for each of the shots, the portraits of Passos and Forrest – which are in black and white – show the former from behind and the latter head-on, suggesting an irreverent Givenchy elegance that is far from two-dimensional.

Dior Men’s

Kim Jones was inspired by gardens for his S/S23 menswear collection, and these influences are brought into bloom again for the campaign. Shot by Rafael Pavarotti, the soft grass and messy flower meadows recall the quintessential English garden (inspired by Charleston in east Sussex) while the pink wall is a reference to Granville, Christian Dior’s childhood home in Normandy – a tone which is also used in many of the garment’s this season. The looks straddle the line between tailoring and sportswear – and the models look ready for both an English garden party and a slightly sweaty stroll through the meadows.

Read AnOther’s guide to Charleston here.

Ferragamo

First premiered in autumn, A New Dawn is the title for Maximilian Davis’s inaugural S/S23 collection for Ferragamo, and the campaign only intensifies the designer’s new language of luxury for the house. Shot by Rafael Pavarotti, the crimson backdrop is ‘Ferragamo red,’ Davis’ new signature colour for the house, which his sensual, ‘fetishistically desirable’ silhouette – as the house calls it – either contrasts with or merges into. Particularly striking is the image of the red ombré dresses, which almost seem to melt into the scenery, the shoulder of yellow peaking out like a sun in a red morning sky.

Dior

Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri took inspiration from Catherine de Medici for her S/S23 womenswear collection. So it’s only natural that the Renaissance portraits of the famously elegant and fashion-conscious French queen are the inspiration for the campaign, shot by regular Dior contributor Brigitte Niedermair. The simple green setting helpfully illuminates the exquisite detail of the clothing, from lace corsets to embroidered capes. The poses and volume of the clothing also recall Dior’s own history – and its 1947 New Look – a silhouette Chiuri is also bringing forward into a new era.

Loewe

Shot by David Sims, Loewe’s S/S23 menswear campaign is something of a dreamscape. Starring actors Josh O’Connor and Stéphane Bak, the campaign is just as much about still lifes as it is portraits, showcasing Loewe accessories such as the Amazon 15, the Puzzle and the Fold Shopper. The campaign borrows from the American photographer George Platt Lynes (for his soft, erotic tension) and from the artist William Nicholson (the shiny silver pot is a direct steal). Whether human or non-human, there is a sense of something beyond the surface. 

Prada 

The codes of Hollywood and European cinema infuse Prada’s S/S23 campaign. Shot by David Sims, it features actors such as Vincent Cassel, Hunter Schafer, Letitia Wright and Louis Partridge as well as models Guinevere van Seenus and Rachel Williams. The wide-framed portraits, flooded with light, suggest a narrative depth, a disturbance or anticipation, inner turmoil or resolution – a world beyond the frame. The campaign is accompanied by A Touch of Crude, an uncanny piece of art cinema by Pusher director Nicolas Winding Refn, about a woman who discovers a black box that allows her to discover multiple universes from multiple perspectives.

Issey Miyake

A Parisian rooftop is the mise-en-scène for Issey Miyake’s spirited S/S23 campaign. Titled A Form That Breathes, a model wears a garment from the Miyake Torso collection – an amorphously sculptural white dress made from a single piece of fabric: “Not defined, not confined/Enveloping the body, liberating the mind,” reads the accompanying campaign text. Jamie Hawkesworth – a photographer known for his kinetic, windswept portraits – shoots the model’s gamine poses and cheeky expressions in black and white, recalling fashion photography of the 1960s.

Miu Miu

“What is the function of fashion?” asks Miu Miu for their S/S23 collection. For a few seasons now, Miu Miu cult items have subverted the codes of uniform (yes, that miniskirt). Here, skirt hemlines may have dropped, but the message remains the same: deconstruction – whether it’s flip-flop sock boots, denim tailoring or sportswear accessorised with handbags. Fronted by Kendall Jenner, the campaign also stars Ever Anderson, Achol Ayor, Emma Corrin, Esther McGregor, Quintessa Swindell, Karolin Wolter and Lim Yoona, who are shot – often in arresting close-ups – by Zoë Ghertner.

Alaïa

Kaia Gerber is ready for her close-up in Alaïa’s Winter/Spring 2023 campaign. Shot by Tyrone Lebon at an art studio in south Los Angeles, the industrial backdrop only enhances the opulence of the Alaïa silhouette. Designed by Pieter Mulier, this includes Cabaret stiletto heels and his reworking of the Le Papa bag, pictured against the concrete. “She embodies beauty but also intelligence, movement, and empowerment,” says Mulier of the glamazonian Gerber, who intentionally recalls her mother, the iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford. Crawford was a muse for the late Azzedine Alaïa and Gerber bridges the gap between the heritage and the future of the house. 

Vivienne Westwood

A darkened theatre is a fittingly elegiac backdrop for Westwood’s S/S23 collection – the first produced since Vivienne Westwood’s passing. Creative director Andreas Kronthaler, Westwood’s partner, was inspired by 17th-century poet John Donne’s declaration that “when we get dressed, we ask something of the world” for this collection. Photographed by Juergen Teller, models such as Irina Shayk, Lars Eidinger, Sibyl Buck and Kronthaler himself form a jocular “Renaissance troop.” In true Westwood style, allusions to historical costume locate punk in the past and the full-frontal poses indeed question us.

Versace

For their S/S23 campaign, Versace have turned the clocks back. Almost 27 years later, the house called in Mark Vanderloo and Iván de Pineda, major league male models who made their debut for Versace in 1996. Shot by Mert & Marcus, the studio portraits, show Vanderloo and de Pineda dressed in satin tailored separates. At once louche and sensual, they are, in the words of Donatella Versace “the true Versace men – not afraid of expressing their creativity through clothing and their friendship through the closeness of their relationship.” The campaign also features Vanderloo’s son, Mark Vanderloo Junior as well as Anthony Thomason and Ottawa Kwami; a nod to a new generation of modelling talent. 

16Arlington

16Arlington designs garments made for dancing – ”clothes with stories to tell the morning after,” as the brand writes. Apt then, that for S/S23, the campaign is focused on movement. Shot by Hugo Comte, the looks – including satin suits, fur boleros and diaphanous gowns – are shot in monochromatic formations. Abdourahman Njie was enlisted as a movement director, coordinating dynamically interlinked poses between the models. Pictured, in twos, threes and fours, like all good nights out, this one happens with the girls. 

Wales Bonner

For S/S23, Wales Bonner presented her collection in Florence’s 15th-century Palazzo Medici Riccardi, transformed with an installation of jute sacks by Ibrahim Mahama. The aim was to create a memory of a ‘Black Medici,’ combining European luxury with an Afro-Atlantic spirit. The campaign, shot by Malick Bodian, continues this theme – shooting looks against the Tuscan sun. The electric Horizon Blue studded jacket also gives its name to a campaign video, directed by Jeano Edwards. The textural cinematography combines with a voiceover by Mahama, which further explores ideas of fabric, history and space.

Coach

Coach returns for S/S23 with the In My Tabby campaign, featuring Lil Nas X, Camila Mendes, Kōki, and Wu JinYan. Shot by up-and-coming photographer Charlotte Wales – who lensed Shygirl for the cover of our latest issue – the colourful campaign centres on the brand’s Tabby bag, a sharp reimagination of an archival bag from the 1970s, courtesy of creative director Stuart Vevers.