Nº21 x Wolford Spring 2023 Ad Campaign Review

Review of Nº21 x Wolford Spring 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Augusto Arduini and Photographer Sergei Antoniov with model Ayla Murray

Nº21 and Wolford blend their complementary design visions to peel back the layers on an incisive and nuanced campaign that feels like a modern classic. The campaign features creative direction from Augusto Arduini and photography by Sergei Antonov.

Primarily known for its excellently crafted lingerie and leggings, Wolford’s forays into clothing proper have anticipated contemporary trends that blur the lines between underwear and outerwear – an ethos that makes it a perfect partner for Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s Nº21, which has a similar practice of subverting the boundaries between elegance and sensuality, concealment and revelation.

Making dramatic use of light and shadow, Antonov’s black-and-white portraits allow for the resulting collection’s tense synthesis of evening wear and underwear – as well as model Ayla Murray’s striking look – to speak for itself. This is the kind of impeccably shot, minimal photo editorial that you don’t really see much anymore. And that’s too bad, because this one proves that the format still has so much to say – particularly when it’s combined with a rigorous design vision that speaks volumes by saying little.