Balenciaga 'The Characters' 2024 Ad Campaign

Review of Balenciaga ‘The Characters’ 2024 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Demna and Photographer Nadav Kander with models Isabelle Huppert, Kim Kardashian, and Naomi Watts

Balenciaga undertakes a stylish character study with its latest campaign. Shot by photographer Nadav Kander, the focused yet complex portraits star a trio of talented brand muses: Kim Kardashian, Isabelle Huppert, and Naomi Watts.

While Kardashian’s hair may make it seem like she’s making another tribute to Marilyn Monroe, her style and archly poised attitude are all her own. Isabelle Huppert has a similarly queenly presence, while Naomi Watts’ character study is a bit more mysterious. Perched on a stool and wrapped in a cocooning trench coat, she gazes off at some unseen source of fascination.

Balenciaga has been releasing straightforward, handbag-focused campaigns at a steady clip over the past few months; this campaign feels like both another chapter and an evolution of that practice. While the visual perspective is direct, the muse-like mystique of each cast member fills the images with something beyond a mere showcase of bestselling accessories, pointing to Balenciaga’s distinct cultural cachet and chameleonic ability to dress all kinds of women while remaining unmistakably itself.