Review of Stella McCartney Winter 2024 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Stella McCartney with Photographer Ethan James Green and models Eva Mendes and Raye
Stella McCartney sends a bold and stylish call to action with her new Winter 2024 campaign shot by photographer Ethan James Green.
The campaign stars actor Eva Mendes and singer Raye, both of whom – in addition to being powerful woman artists – are outspoken on environmental and feminist issues, aligning with the brand’s core values of environmental preservation and animal welfare.
The campaign centers this message in one of the most bold and direct ways we’ve seen from Stella yet. The clever layouts pair Green’s portraits of each star alongside a majestic animal shot that finds visual synchronicity between the two. Proudly shaking her hair in a black dress, Eva Mendes channels the dynamism of a glossy black horse, while Raye echoes the quiet power of a polar bear in her oversized, shaggy white coat. But it’s the accompanying all-caps text in bold red that drives the impact home: “IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME.” The time for action is now; every minute we wait brings the Earth’s precarious habitats closer to eternal destruction.
Nicely primed for TikTok and Instagram stories, the accompanying short videos put each of these portraits in motion while letting each star raise their own voice and contribute to the call to action.
While it is freshly and relevantly revived in this bold new format, the catchphrase actually isn’t new for the designer; it is inspired by a custom tank top worn by Stella during Paul McCartney’s inauguration into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Reinterpreted as a rallying cry for action and activism, this piece of the brand’s history makes a fitting comeback today, where it will drive engagement both on social media and out-of-home through planned guerrilla postings and an activation with PETA.
At a time when many campaigns are feeling lacking in POV and punch, Stella McCartney gives us all that – and how.
Stella McCartney Creative Director | Stella McCartney
Photographer | Ethan James Green
Models | Eva Mendes and Raye