Review of Woolrich ‘Origin Stories: Americana’ Spring 2024 Ad Campaign by Photographer Dino Kužnik and Director Gary Emekwa with Talent Amber Maalouf and Mike Gray
Woolrich explores the visual language of the American west and how it is shaped by the art of photography with its new Spring 2024 campaign. Titled “Origin Stories: Americana,” the campaign marks the second chapter of an ongoing series that explores the roots of the brand and its intertwined connections with the history of American culture, featuring photography by Dino Kužnik and film direction by Gary Emekwa.
The campaign’s protagonists are Amber Maalouf and Mike Gray, both of whom are talented Los Angeles-based photographers. The story follows the duo as they roadtrip through the California desert, seeing out new locations and inspiration to put their own mark on the tradition of Americana photography.
With a photography-focused campaign, the shots themselves need to be pretty strong, and Kužnik rises to the occasion with his lushly colored and cleverly composed snapshots. Meanwhile, shot on vintage film, the accompanying video deepens the evocative mystique of the desert atmosphere and gives us a window into the perspective and process of its photographer subjects.
Photography emerged right around the same time that Woolrich was founded, and it’s a great campaign concept to explore how the two are linked. Photography was of course hugely instrumental in how the American west was documented and culturally perceived, and of course a large part of this perception is also tied with the outdoor clothing of those who forged and captured this history. Celebrating the history of an art tradition while highlighting those who are carrying it forward, Woolrich makes a soulful homage to its American origins.
Photographer | Dino Kužnik
Director | Gary Emekwa
Talent | Amber Maalouf and Mike Gray
Stylist | Roberto Johnson
Hair | Anthony Martinez
Makeup | Anna Kato
Casting Director | Leena Tsuchiya