Shushu/Tong Fall 2023 Ad Campaign

Review of Shushu/Tong Fall 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Ryan Wong and Photographer Marili Andre with model Tanya Churbanova

Shushu/Tong investigates new angles on femininity with its Fall 2023 campaign by creative director Ryan Wong and photographer Marili Andre.

Andre takes an off-the-cuff and exposed approach to capturing the collection, which brings a subtly punkish edge to the Shanghai-based brand’s practice of twisting ultra-feminine design codes. The high-flash images of model Tanya Churbanova are almost washed out, saving no delicate ruffle or metallic hardware detail from the camera’s harsh glare. The abstract set design backs the model into angular boxes and corners – perhaps as a commentary on society’s expectations of young women – while the pervasive use of blue echoes both the collection’s chromatic motif and the color of the model’s eyes, making for a striking portrait of the intersection of outer and inner life.

Angular but intimate, delicate but abrasive, the campaign is another nuanced exploration of the contradictions at the heart of Shushu/Tong’s design practice.