Officine Générale Spring 2023 Ad Campaign Review

Review of Officine Générale Spring 2023 Ad Campaign by Image Director Nina Mahéo and Photographer Laurence Ellis with models Malgosia Bela & Matthew Seymour

Officine Générale takes love and a love for the sea as the inspiration for its new Spring 2023 campaign. The campaign is led by the brand’s image director Nina Mahéo (whose husband, Pierre, is the brand’s founder and designer) and shot by photographer Laurence Ellis.

The campaign frames the collection’s classic and light wardrobe staples by heading to Nice and Villefranche-sur Mer in the South of France, setting them before a series of intimate ocean views that tap into a recognizable, if not placeable, feeling of serenity and depth.

I know how much Pierre loves the sea. It’s an environment that inspires and soothes him. My idea was to capture his collection in a series of sea views, but with a feeling of not quite being able to identify where the images were taken. To set a mood, and leave the rest to the imagination.
– Nina Mahéo, Officine Générale Image Director

Ellis shot the campaign on analogue film, enriching the images with a gorgeous coloration and an organic feeling of the ephemeral beauty of shifting light and water. With pure, minimalist styling, models Malgosia Bela and Matthew Seymour bring depth and soul to the images.

The story of partnership – both creative and romantic – at the center of the brand is one of its most unique and likable assets, with husband Pierre designing the collections and wife Nina handling the brand’s image and creative direction, from leading the visuals on campaigns to designing store fronts. It’s lovely to see a campaign from the brand (this is actually only their second official ad campaign, despite its decade of successful existence) that leans into this story for its inspiration, and the resulting imagery is sensitive, delicate, warm, and inviting.