Review of Rabanne ‘Origins of the Future’ Spring 2024 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Julien Dossena and Photographer Alasdair McLellan with model Mona Tougaard
Rabanne evokes the timeless futurism of its legendary founder’s vision with its new Spring 2024 campaign. Subtitled “Origins of the Future,” the campaign was shot by photographer Alasdair McLellan.
McLellan’s imagery draws on Nues, an iconic photographic series by Jean Clemmer created in collaboration with Paco Rabanne in 1969 that explored the way the designer’s signature metalworking techniques interacted with the nude body with surprising fluidity. The photographs appeared on pieces in creative director Julien Dossena’s collection, alongside revivals of Rabanne’s signature chainmail dresses.
Mona Tougaard poses powerfully in Dossena’s latest extension of this timeless technique, a fitting muse for the aesthetic that feels both rooted in ancient tradition and totally futuristic. Perhaps its a coincidence, but the campaign also feels tuned into a mood of the moment as it arrives alongside the release of the new Dune movie and the many futuristic and avant-garde looks Zendaya has worn to its red carpet premieres. Tougaard would be right at home as a princess of the desert planet Arrakis.
While there’s a potentially powerful narrative here that the campaign could have worked to push more, there is something striking and fitting about letting these oracular designs and the woman who wears them so well command the entire image. Whether looking into the ancient past or the far-flung future, Rabanne is looking good.
Rabanne Creative Director | Julien Dossena
Photographer | Alasdair McLellan
Model | Mona Tougaard
Stylist | Marie Amelie Sauve
Casting Director | Piergiorgio Del Moro