The best spring/summer 2016 campaigns

Gucci

Looks like Children of Bahnhof Zoo will be wearing Gucci next season. Shot by Glen Lunchford in Berlin, the new Gucci campaign is a captivating throwback to the German 80s pop culture, revisited of course in pure Alessandro Michele style. The video ad that came out earlier this year shows many references to the cult movie Christiane F. First of all, in an epic scene the protagonist and her drug addict friends are seen running from police before ending up on a rooftop overlooking Berlin’s skyline. Michele’s kids might be all glittery and fashionable, but the idea behind the collection lies in that same “carefree and hedonistic” feeling embodied in a nostalgic context.

Valentino

For spring/summer 2016, Valentino directors Chiuri and Piccioli have forged a collection that has already been marked as controversial. Accused of cultural appropriation, the collection brought an ode to “wild, tribal Africa” on the catwalk, with models showcasing dreadlocks and wearing fringing, bone necklaces, feathers, beaded belts and ethnic motifs. Far from wanting to reduce the spirit of Africa to a mere stereotype, as they were accused of, the duo described the clothes as “primitive, tribal, spiritual, yet regal” on Twitter, and the collection as a “journey to the beginning of time and the essential of primitive nature”.

The campaign was shot in a Masai Village in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park by the National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, who commented, “The idea of these pictures is to take the viewer on a journey. The clothes were inspired by African motifs, [so] to take the shoot to Africa and show how these things interact and, this connection of the clothes, the models, the environment, the local people; I thought it was a great endeavor.”

Balmain

Shot by Steven Klein, the spring/summer 2016 Balmain campaign is a jump back into the 90s supermodel era, featuring the golden trio: Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell. Super young creative director Olivier Rousteing said he has always been very fond of these three women, since he was a teenager, as they represented for him more then just models: they are powerful business women, they are inspiring and, above all, they “made fashion relevant, as relevant to pop culture as music, cinema, sport”. Not to mention the three have always been appearing in Rousteing’s inspirational moodboard. A dream come true for the designer and a memorable moment in fashion for everybody. Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton’s campaign for next season definitely stands out for being one of the most innovative. The decision to pick Final Fantasy’s character Lighting might not meet everyone’s taste, but it sure is a bold, revolutionary move. The pink-haired video game heroin has been given a glamorous makeover as she stars in the Series 4 campaign. But the surprises with Ghesquière are not finished yet. Another famous face has been selected to feature in the campaign shot by Bruce Weber – teenage model-rapper Jaden Smith. With the gender-fluid icon and a virtual character representing the brand for the upcoming season, Louis Vuitton is making a big statement.

Francesca Milano