Zara x Rhuigi Villaseñor 'Rhu's Second Collection' Ad Campaign Review

Review of Zara x Rhuigi Villaseñor RHU Spring 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Rhuigi Villaseñor and Photographer Willy Vanderperre with model Aron Piper

Zara and Rhuigi Villaseñor reunite for a second collaborative collection, which is celebrated in a slick and futuristic new campaign by maestro photographer Willy Vanderperre.

Redesigning Human Uniform – or RHU for short – was co-created by Zara and Rhuigi Villaseñor – creative director of both his own brand Rhude and, recently, Bally – in 2022. By combining Villaseñor’s aesthetic with Zara’s global network, their shared intention was to create a wardrobe infused with the qualities and codes of modern progressive luxury at a scale and price point that made it accessible to all. Following a first collection, Zara and Villaseñor have reunited to present a newly evolved and expanded edition of RHU’s contemporary “uniform.”

The premise and the goal of this project remains the same: to enable young people with a real-world budget to access my aesthetic codes and design. RHU is an exercise in fashion democracy in which every piece is conceived, prototyped, and produced with the values of dignity and accessibility front and center.
– Rhuigi Villaseñor

In capturing the campaign, Vanderperre introduces a futuristic exploration of technology, image, and identity into his crisp signature style. Worn by model Aron Piper, the collection’s denim, moto, and climbing gear-influenced designs subtly clash against a technological array of cameras and screens, as if a virtual reality alter ego is in the process of being created.

The partnership with WIlly Vanderperre – Raf Simons’ go-to photographer for many years at his eponymous label – demonstrates a strong belief on Zara’s part in investing in Villaseñor’s talent and vision, and considering the success of the last partnership, they’re smart to do so. Coupled with the collection’s youth-forward and intersectional approach, Vanderperre’s imagery wisely taps into and celebrates the idea of digital persona and multiplicity that characterizes the social experience of the younger generations, viewing from multiple angles the freeness and expression that young people have access to like never before. It’s a fitting format for a collection that is all about democratizing and viewing fashion in a new way.