Coach "Courage to Be Real" Ad Campaign

Review of Coach ‘Courage to Be Real’ 2022 Ad Campaign by Director and Photographer Petra Collins with talent Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X embodies the “Courage to Be Real” in a new campaign for Coach, which was directed and photographed by Petra Collins.

With a musical approach and persona that go hand in hand with his status as a boundary-pushing style star and a queer icon, Lil Nas X caught the attention of Coach creative director Stuart Vevers, who invited him to close Coach’s Spring 2023 runway show in New York, as well as designing custom tour outfits for the musician and creating a collaborative collection together. The brand’s latest campaign is another confirmation that this partnership was made to be.

The film opens with a quote from Lil Nas X himself – “My whole career has been about breaking down doors” – that forms the basis of the film’s narrative thread. The singer finds himself on the street of an empty suburb, confronted with the mystical presence of a Monsters-Inc-esque door. Stepping through, he finds himself back in high school music class, and recalls discovering his love of music. The film proceeds through several of these vignettes, tracing the origins and formative points in his journey of creativity and self-discovery, and culminates as he performs for a massive stadium crowd. Each chapter is accompanied by an outfit change, emphasizing the connection between personal style and identity.

The film is accompanied by a set of still portraits that highlight key moments and looks from the film. Collins handled both photography and film direction for the campaign, and, augmented by her already cinematic aesthetic approach, we can feel that both parts were executed by the same confident auteur’s hand.

The campaign continues to build on a strong creative partnership with a new chapter that shows smart thinking on how to leverage a celebrity brand ambassador partnership into a meaningful narrative experience. Allying itself with the creative world of one of pop music’s most groundbreaking stars, Coach celebrates the power of courageous style.