By SARAH JONES
French fashion house Givenchy is capturing the nighttime spirit in an advertising campaign that centers on an international clique.
Givenchy’s “Night Noir” campaign for fall/winter 2018 follows the “in-crowd” as they head to a secret party, putting the focus on the journey as well as the destination. Marking creative director Clare Waight Keller’s first fall campaign, the effort speaks to the potential that exists at the start of the night, looking to position Givenchy attire as a key to making a successful arrival.
“The fall/winter ready-to-wear 2018 campaign is bold, graphic and gritty, very on-brand for the house but still fresh and very modern,” said Daymon Bruck, CCO and partner at The O Group, Seattle.
“If you were to reverse engineer the creative brief for the campaign, Clare Waight Keller seems to be paying homage to the house’s signature style cues while reinforcing Givenchy as a relevant heritage brand for a new global audience,” he said.
Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Givenchy, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Givenchywas reached for comment.
THE IN-CROWD
Givenchy’s campaign is darkly lit, capturing glimpses of models in moving spotlights.
A black-and-white campaign film follows a group of friends as they make their way on foot to a party, switching between their movements and the eventual destination.
Over ambient noise of heels clacking on pavement, partygoers talking and dance music, the film includes GPS voiceovers. These directions guide the revelers in various languages including English, French and German.
One set of directions leads to Givenchy’s Madison Avenue store in New York via subway and walking.
“The fresh direction for the brand is echoed symbolically with the voiceover directions delivered in many languages, all ending with the name ‘Givenchy,'” Mr. Bruck said. “The final voiceover is directions to the brand’s New York City address, 747 Madison, a nice close and tie-in to all the international hopping called out through the campaign video.”
Once at the party, Givenchy’s clique is seen dancing and having a good time. Amid the crowd, lovers take advantage of moments alone in the dark, embracing each other.
