Review of Valentino Spring 2022 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli with Photographer Michael Bailey Gates with Talent Zendaya
Zendaya stars in a new campaign for Valentino that gorgeously blurs reality and fantasy. The Spring 2022 campaign features photography by Michael Baily-Gates and cinematography by Marcell Rev and Scott Sakamoto.
The campaign is captured at the Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, a backdrop that sets the tone for the narrative’s imaginative interweaving of art and reality, actor and spectator. Tracing her movements with a steady, circulating camera shot, the film follows Zendaya as she moves between the outdoor set, which mimics a street but is populated with real people, and interior studio and rehearsal spaces, where she interacts with stylists and fellow artists – as well as a brief cameo from Pierpaolo Piccioli himself.
The familiar, muted tones of the set and studio spaces provide a neutral backdrop for the vibrant, solid colors of the collection, which billow and fall in imaginative layers, emphasizing and poetically deepening Zendaya’s movements. The aspect of motion comes to fruition at the conclusion of the film as the actor is joined by a squad of dancers moving together in joyful unison.
Bailey-Gates’ accompanying photographs take shape as portraits of the artist in the same spaces. Though more straightforward than the film, they support its spirit with their striking color combinations and emphasis on Zendaya’s spirit as a person and performer.
The abstract narrative’s interpenetration of art and life, production and reality, is a smart way to express the ethos of artistry and everyday elevation that have characterized Piccioli’s recent work, particularly his Spring 2022 “Rendez-Vous” collection. Coupled with excellent film production, gorgeous colors, and an unstoppable star, the campaign beautifully expresses the power of Valentino to transform the actual and everyday into a work of art.
Creative Director | Pierpaolo Piccioli
Photographer | Michael Bailey Gates
Art Director | Riccardo Zanola
DOP | Marcell Rev
Camera Operator | Scott Sakamoto
Talent | Zendaya
Stylist | Law Roach
Hair | Kim Kimble
Makeup | Sheika Daley
Manicurist | Chaun Legend
Creative Movement Director | Stephen Galloway
Production Designer | Happy Massee
Dancers | Jess Hu, Brandon Mathis, Corynn Gearhart, Jasmine Sugar, Taliha Abdiel, Toiya Leatherwood, Zach Greene, Derek Holloway, Carlena Britch, Morgann Jae Quinn
Production Company | LS Productions
Executive Producer | Emilie Dumas
Production Service Company | Westy Productions
Editor | Michael Bryson At Modern Post
Colourist | Tom Poole At Company 3
VFX & Post | Modern Post