Giannico’s Nicolò Beretta is celebrating the end of lockdown with the launch of his spring ’20 campaign featuring Chiara Scelsi.
The model made her runway debut with Chanel in 2016 and has since appeared in campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and H&M. In a sign of the times, the campaign was self shot on an iPhone at Scelsi’s home during confinement and art directed via FaceTime for a raw aesthetic and analogue ‘90s vibe.
The two have been friends for four years and met before Scelsi even started modeling. She has seven cats and a dog as well, so when they started playing and coming into the frame, it made sense to incorporate this into the shoot, the designer said. “The cat in the picture is completely black with these amazing blue eyes.”
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The at-home setting proved a great contrast for the collection’s luxe materials Beretta noted — “taking these super special shoes and bringing them into real life, worn by a girl in intimate clothing and barely any makeup.” The shoot’s cinematic concept was inspired by the designer’s own time spent in confinement watching movies, in particular those by Pedro Almodóvar. He’s worked his way through the director’s entire oeuvre and favorites are “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and “Volver”.
Reality is central to Almodovar’s movies, the designer observed. “Being at home is the most contemporary thing there is right now. This situation woke us up from the dream we had been living in.” According to Beretta, the pandemic has changed our perspective. “Before this happened we were more frivolous,” he said. “Showing product in a real and everyday context is now more relevant than ever.” He added that he thinks the results are much more engaging that those of the shoot he had originally planned prior to the country’s lockdown measures.
According to trend forecasting agency Heuritech, Instagram has seen a 70% increase in traffic since the start of widespread confinement and Beretta emphasized its growing importance as a means of contemporary communication. “I think more brands and magazines will start working like this,” he said.
Going forward he’s considering how to evolve both his product categories and the way he merchandises them. While Giannico has previously been considered more as an evening shoe or occasion wear brand, he’s implementing some changes for spring ’21.
“I want to make it more daytime but without losing all the glamour we’re known for with the crystals and the glitter so you will see some very fun ideas. Although our heels are our best sellers, we’ve always done some really cool flats so I want to take this concept and make it stronger than ever,” he said.
While he acknowledges the importance of his relationships with long-term partners and retailers with whom he will continue to collaborate, he also plans to become stronger digitally, reconfiguring his website to generate more direct-to-consumer business too.
