Gucci x North Face Spring 2022 Ad Campaign

Review of Gucci x North Face Spring 2022 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Alessandro Michele with Photographer Ronan Gallagher

Gucci and The North Face travel by train in the latest campaign installment for their ongoing collaboration. Created in partnership with Highsnobiety, the Spring 2022 campaign features videography by Tom Dream and photography by Ronan Gallagher, as well as a very special celebrity guest.

TikTok’s favorite train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois is the star of the campaign. The British 21-year-old has garnered legions of followers for his positive and eccentric personality and his videos where he explores his passion for trains and train-spotting.

Bourgeois embodies a jolly train conductor who leads an eclectic group of Gucci x North Face-clad sightseers along a whimsical day trip through the countryside. The video makes use of grainy and richly-colored, vintage-feeling film effects to create a nostalgic and idealized feeling that bends time between antique and contemporary. Coupled with the dreamy and twee soundtrack, the film nails its mood of uplifting and adorable locomotive-themed fun.

Gallagher’s accompanying photographs enrich the narrative with detail and personality. As he focuses on moments of connection and excitement between the train’s passengers and crew, the collection’s bright prints and patterns lend a joyful vibrancy to his compositions.

While a train influencer might be an unexpected star, the casting is right on the nose for Gucci’s brand of celebrating idiosyncratic characters and personality, and is sure to garner the house a lot of social media attention for its thoughtfulness. Further developed with excellent visuals and production, the campaign cruises into success at full steam.