Publicación escrita y presentada para el congreso `Fashion Tales´ celebrado en la Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore “Fashion Films”, as their name indicates, are audiovisual creations on fashion. This is a new genre and format which is bringing about a revolution (specifically in the communication of fashion brands) that can be compared to the invention of the video clip.

1. M. Codina, M. Torregrosa, C. Sánchez-Blanco, M. Noguera y J. Vitoria
Universidad de Navarra
Fashion Tales, June 2012
Short Fashion Films: So fashion brands have embraced internet as the perfect channel to communicate their
A new means of brand communication brands both globally and individually. Fashion Films, then, were born when the brands
adapted to changes brought about by the ecosystem of the new market media and
consumer habits.
“Fashion Films”, as their name indicates, are audiovisual creations on fashion. This is a new
genre and format which is bringing about a revolution (specifically in the communication The story of a brand is becoming more and more cross-media; it is told and completed
of fashion brands) that can be compared to the invention of the video clip. through different media. Fashion shows are still the cornerstone of the communication
strategy for a fashion company. These are followed by conventional publicity campaigns in
Fashion Films go from films like “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006), which basically deals with glossy magazines and on TV, and now there is a new window, internet, which demands a
the world of fashion, or “A Single Man” (2009), directed by the designer Tom Ford, to new language. A new language which is briefer, more direct, more personal, and at the
music projects such as those by Burberry Acoustic or the videos for the Oliver Peoples same time, more global.
brand. In this category we could also include Lanvin’s Fall Winter 2011-12 campaign to the
rhythm of Pitbull, more experimental video creations like “Shade Parade” or “Makeup” for 2. Branded Content
Chanel, and more traditional spots.
Fashion Films, then, fit into the phenomenon known as Branded Content. This is a new
Under this umbrella term, “Fashion Film”, we also find a set of shorts that are somewhat means of marketing communication, which in the case of Fashion Films brings together
different from the previous ones: Chanel No.5 The Film, and the Dior series for their the world of fashion, of publicity and of cinema with several aims: customer
handbag line Lady Dior; or also the productions (titles like “First Spring”) for Prada and Miu entertainment, brand advertising, social engagement and customer communication.
Miu for the last two seasons’ collections, or the newly released “A Therapy”, directed by
Roman Polanski. “Branded content is described as a fusion of advertising and entertainment into one
marketing communications product that is integrated into an organization’s overall brand
There is a two-fold aim in this presentation. First it intends to offer a context from strategy intended to be distributed as entertainment content with a highly branded
communication to the birth of these Fashion Films. On the other hand, it lists the essential quality” HORRIGAN, David (2009). Branded content was created within an audiovisual
features of what we shall call “Short Fashion Films”, with the intention of differentiating context in which the hybridization of genres and the convergence of media allow for much
them from the broad range of audiovisual productions included in the term “Fashion more innovative advertising contents. The cinema/fashion alliance that makes for Fashion
Films”. To do so, we have analyzed the cases of Chanel and Dior, as we believe them to be Films offers two-fold benefits. On the one hand, the brand ensures that its advertising
the origin of this now well-established trend. does not bother people surfing online, as, very much on the contrary, do “banners” or
“spots”. This kind of content entertains the audience, who looks for it and heads directly
1. Origin and their present-day significance for it. For this to happen, the content must be high quality and, in itself, attract the public.
On the other hand, cinema gets a new source of funding, the brand, and a new area for
Getting back to the analogy with the video clip, we can say that just as the video clip experimenting by means of its idiom.
makes no sense without television, Fashion Films make none without internet. Internet is
responsible for an unprecedented revolution both in communications and in everyday life. Besides, branded content offers the consumer a new way of relating to brands. The target
Information has no borders; it is instantaneous and much more personalized. public for luxury brands is not limited to the customers who go to their stores to buy the
products.

2. M. Codina, M. Torregrosa, C. Sánchez-Blanco, M. Noguera y J. Vitoria
Universidad de Navarra
Fashion Tales, June 2012
Nowadays, any user who spends time watching or consuming a fashion film is also a brand d.) Seriality: Most of the fashion shorts, while free-standing, show a certain amount of
user. The time spent becomes a commitment to the brand, creates an affective link, and seriality within the communication strategy of each brand. In the case of Dior, for
makes the user into a potential buyer. The new customers are ambassadors for the brand, example, a new short fashion film is produced for each new model of the Lady Dior
as one of their habits is precisely to recommend the content to others, to share it with handbag line, but all with the same protagonist, Marion Cotillard, who is the face of the
others. brand. Each handbag represents a different colour or city (Lady Rouge, Lady Blue
Shanghai, Lady Moscow…) but it is always a handbag advertisement and always has the
3. Definition and features of Short Fashion Films: the cases of Dior and Chanel same star.
I will now, through the paradigmatic cases of the Chanel and Dior brands, give examples of e.) Artistic direction: As what is being advertised is a fashion product or brand, the
the features that characterize and define Short Fashion Films, as a specific type of fashion wardrobe design, the sets, make-up and hair-dressing are always particularly cared-for.
film. Apart from advertising a particular product, these shorts are extremely effective when
transmitting the image of a particular brand, so the creative directors of the
a.) A hybrid phenomenon made up of cinema, fashion and advertising: the first basic Haute Couture houses organize the artistic direction of the projects. Consequently, John
characteristic of short fashion films is that they are a product of the fusion between Galliano was in charge of the “Lady Dior” series until his dismissal.
cinema and advertising whose content is a fashion brand.
3.1.
These shorts have an advertising role, as they publicize a brand in order to convince new
buyers and ensure the loyalty of older ones. As shorts, they use professionals of the The short fashion films share three characteristics with the other productions that
cinema industry. These short fashion films are under the baton of some of the most comprise the “Fashion Film” group. These three characteristics make them especially
esteemed directors in the international arena, such as Baz Luhrman and Sofia Coppola for effective in brand communication: the music, the online video platform and their length.
Chanel, or Guy Ritchie and David Lynch for Dior. The stars of these commercials are also
well-known actors who also work as the image for the campaign of the brand in question. a.) Music is not just one more ingredient in the creation, on occasion it is the star. There
In the end, the fashion brand pays, and, above all, is the real star of these audiovisual are very varied examples: Marion Cotillard singing a Franz Ferdinand song for the “Lady
stories. Rouge” spot; Zooey Deschanel for Oliver Peoples… Thus we see a four-fold alliance of
cinema, fashion, music and advertising.
b.) Storytelling: Short fashion films use the vernacular of the cinema, the narrative. They
tell stories with a beginning, a middle and an end, with protagonists who must overcome b.) As the distribution platform is internet, this has broadened the brands’ target public
obstacles to reach their goals. and has rejuvenated them. The online video is a favourite among young people, so fashion
films connect particularly well with the YouTube generation.
This is how Chanel presented Nicole Kidman in 2005: as a star who fled from the world of
camera flashes and took refuge in the attic of a bohemian artist in Paris. When she c.) Length: Internet allows the brands to break free from the 30-second slavery of the
discovers that the solution is not to flee, but to face up to reality, what the artist most classic TV commercial and to stretch out for a few minute. The Chanel spot mentioned
remembers is her perfume, Chanel No.5. These stories become the best way of before was among the first to break down this barrier by offering a 2-mimute-long version
transmitting the indefinable values of the brand; values that desire a more emotional link online.
with the consumers, a space in their memories, a place in their hearts. This is why
Storytelling becomes the main tool for short fashion films to spread awareness of a brand.

3. M. Codina, M. Torregrosa, C. Sánchez-Blanco, M. Noguera y J. Vitoria
Universidad de Navarra
Fashion Tales, June 2012
These three characteristics also allow their distribution to go viral. Fashion Films spread
almost by themselves. The social networks allow users to recommend and share these
contents, quickly, effectively and for nothing. It is the new version of the classic mouth-to-
mouth strategy where one consumer recommends something to another, and so on. “Nº5, The Film”
Baz Luhrman with Nicole Kidman (2005)
Luc Besson with Estella Warren (2006)
Jean P. Jeunet with Audrey Tautou (2010)
“Be unexpected”
Martin Scorsese with Gaspar Ulliel (2010)
Directed by Karl Lagerfeld
Remember Now (2010)
As a conclusion
A tale of a Fairy (2011)
The presence of the different formats of fashion films is clear nowadays in the world of
fashion and more and more in the world of cinema and exhibitions (AsVoFF, Cannes…)
The short fashion film line inaugurated by the great, luxury couture houses has been
strengthened by the before-mentioned features: cinema professionals working with
fashion brands, shorts with a story or drama that show the intangible values of the brand; “Lady Dior”
seriality and careful artistic direction. “Lady Noire Affair” - Olivier Dahan (2010)
“Lady Rouge” - Jonas Akerlun
Together with the short fashion film line drawn up by brands like Chanel and Dior, fashion “Lady Grey London” - John Cameron Mitchell
brands see fashion films as a particularly productive area for innovation and creativity in “Lady Blue Shangai” - David Lynch (2011)
“Lady Moscow”
new formats to spread awareness of their products and values. The essentially fickle
“L.A dy Dior” John Cameron Mitchell (2012)
dynamics marked by the world of fashion, the ever-growing possibilities offered by “Miss Dior Cherie” by S. Coppola
technological development and the change in the public’s consumer habits will demand With Maryna Lichuk(2010)
that we continue to pay attention to the unquestionable evolution of this phenomenon. With Natalie Portman (2011)
Dior Homme
“Un Rendez Vous” Guy Richie with Jude Law