Fashion Film

Self VS Aspiration

Who am I? I am Fenella’s daughter. I am Freya’s sister. I am Alex’s friend. I am an owner. I am a learner. I am a companion. I am an over- achiever. I am compulsive. I am laid back. I am worried. I am private. I am modification. I am envious. I am an aesthetician. I have an aspiration.

The more we deny having any form of an aspirational aesthetic the more we find ourselves searching for one. I do it. You can’t not admit to it too. An aspirational aesthetic can be broken down into two parts, firstly the aspirational side, the desirability of success. This ‘success’ can come in many forms, financial success, material success, spiritual success and social success. It is this social success companies such as Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren submerge themselves into. As they uncover the lives of their ‘target audience’ in their lately released ‘At home with the Hilfiger’s’ autumn 2011 advertisement. The advertisement features a guided tour of a beautifully preened country estate and delivers a behind the scenes view of the artificially created family consisting of the seasons most eligible runway models. The film begins with the Latin phrase ‘casa nobilius maison – U.S.’ meaning ‘the noblest house’, a small way of hinting at their audience of the association with education by using the Latin language, a subject usually assumed to be taught in the most prestigious of privately funded establishments to begin their advert. As the film progresses, introducing each ‘family member’ to the camera a storyline begins to unfold, about Francis, Sam or Bernard and their history. This allows the viewer to either associate themselves with such characters or aspire to be one of them, equally producing a wide audience for Hilfiger’s products. The use of a wide age range also hints at the generational heritage of the brand.

Secondly, Ralph Lauren has undoubtedly succeeded in advertising the aesthetically enticing world of the upper class to the masses. Each of their sub lines, ranging from Polo to Rugby, targets an individual subculture of their audience. You can notice too through Lauren’s preppy, American dream inspired footage how the characterisations of several models aims to intrigue the teenage middle class sector in to aspiring to be among the generations whole ultimately don’t even want to buy from the brand as it has become of a lower class.

However, generational inspired brands such as these are not the only companies to pounce on the aesthetically inspired. Far from it. A marginally more individually inspired brand, Calvin Klein, use this method to target another culture audience through the use of film exploring the real lives of the models employed to entice its audience. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum exists the subculture that covet exclusivity as their aesthetical aspiration while such products remain exclusive by virtue of their price tag. For example family owned French house Hermes does not rely on celebrity status to model their latest campaign but target the inherited wealthy of our society rather than the ‘get rich quick’ among us who admire the logo filled fabric. It is perhaps no surprise that products from Hermes increase in value with age unlike other one hit wonders.

The recent rise in the use of fashion film to advertise has provided a range of aesthetic aspirations to the wider public. The genre of fashion based film can be distinguished into two types, art and advertisement, with each often cross referencing each other. This rise began from the decline of magazine sales and the increase in the use of the internet, hence the rise in the fashion blogger, allowing them to influence what we buy as much as a fashion editor or celebrity. Fashion houses are increasingly paying attention to the power of the internet.

Fashion film was originally established in the 1930’s when Coco Chanel designed the costumes for Jean Cocteau’s film ‘Le Sag d’un Poete’, displaying one of the first recognised designer and film maker collaborations. This was later followed by a whole host of links between the two industries from Rodarte crafting the recent box office hit ‘Black Swan’s’ costumes to the timeless elegance of Breakfast at Tiffany’s styled by Givenchy in 1961. However most recently a whole new genre of collaboration has been developed due to the cross over between designer and director as Tom Ford took to writing and directing ‘A Single Man’ while providing the cast with a host of Tom Ford menswear.  

In 2009 an exhibition at Somerset House named SHOWstudio enforced this fashion revolution by taking the idea of ‘moving fashion’ further, by celebrating nine years of the company forging the genre of fashion films and acknowledging their influence in the present day. Photographer Knight describes the progress as “moving away from illustration and photography and entering the world of the interactive”. Recently we have also seen the world of fashion film take over the new genre of music videos as a new vehicle for showcasing up and coming film making. A new wave of directors are more attracted to this genre due to the lack of time constraints from a song and the narrative freedom. Todd Cole and Zaiba Jabbar began their directing careers in music videos however moved quickly to creating successful fashion films. Much like when music video directing began, the genre is so open allowing any wild interpretations to be acceptable. Cole recently described his love for fashion film as an ability to create better narrative possibilities, be able to use music and sound to enhance the mood, create stronger and more complete characters as a three-dimensionally alternative to print. One of Cole’s most prestigious films was collaboration with Rodarte, following his many photographic collaborations. ‘A Space Odyssey’ was not necessarily inspired by the brands aesthetic but more a continuation of the type of film and photography the audience of the brand would like to see. This, despite being directed and produced as a piece of art, results in being an advertisement, enticing the Rodarte audience. Todd Cole later went on to collaborate even further with the fashion house producing ‘The Curve of Forgotten Things’ featuring Elle Fanning as the girl ‘existing in a story outside of time in a magical place that is unique to California’, in which each outfit transforms when she moves from room to room.

Another example of a highly influential film in the new movement was when Italian fashion giants enlisted experimental film maker, actor and author Kenneth Anger to create a short film that represents Missioni’s Autumn/Winter collection for 2010/11. Anger’s aesthetic is often described as fantastical, surreal and containing “elements of erotica, documentary and psychodrama” The short film he produced for the fashion house hints at glimpses of the family’s motifs and knits that define the brand while displaying a sophisticated aesthetic to the tune of Anger’s ethereal narrative. All members of the family are included in the production resembling tactile kaleidoscopic montage caught together using dreamy, pastel tones, defining the sophistication and imagination of the brands aesthetic.

As the use of fashion film began to filter down the ranks of underground fashion to the fashion giants such as Chanel and Lanvin it hit upon the high street market. A perfect place to allow the everyday shopper an aspiration linked to that of high fashion, meanwhile creating a wider audience accepting its blatant product placement. First, high street dominants Topshop enlisted the new genre to attract new customers. British trained menswear designer Shaun Samson launched his label earlier this year at London Fashion Week and teamed up with Fashion East and The Hidden Agency as part of their Man SS12 series to produce a short film displaying debut collection to be featured in the chains top UK stores. Directed by Liam Gleeson and set to a chilling soundtrack of The Big Pink covering Beyoncé’s ‘Sweet Dreams’  the video is an exploration into the life of early 90’s grunge and surfer life. Gleeson recreated the stereotype in an empty warehouse, including trickling water and harsh sunlight, in front of projections of the landscape and Samson’s Aztec inspired beach shorts. The Man SS12 collaboration also featured videos from Matthew Miller’s architecturally inspired collection and Martine Rose’s collection influenced by the culture of skateboarding, while each film displays a range of aesthetic aspirations.   

Despite the constant flux between art and advertisement the fashion film genre continues to produce work on an interactive level. Each label has its own aspirational audience, a buyer that has aesthetic desires to become the person who wears that season’s jacket, who fits in to the society portrayed and who undoubtedly searches for their own subculture to aspire to be in. Call yourself a follower or declare to being self styled, but, ultimately, you’re always going to fit into an aspirational aesthetic.