DA MAN Style Fall/Winter 2016 evaluates favorite menswear campaigns of the season

HERMÈS
From Start to Finnish

Hermès once again captures beautiful scenery for its latest seasonal push featuring up-and-coming model Tim Schaap. The annual theme “Hermès by nature” explores the snowy woodlands of Finland and highlights the eye-catching bear-faced “Grrrr!” scarf and the Bolide 45 Shark bag, among others. The man behind the lens is none other than Yoshihiko Ueda, who also shot the brand’s ads for the previous season. The sharp contrasts between and the all-white background are a sumptuous visual feature and asserts Ueda’s photographic trademark.

ETRO
Into the Woods

Long-haired model Marcel Castenmiller (pictured above, bottom) came back for another campaign with Etro in a nature-inspired shoot by Swedish photographer Mikael Jansson. Belgian model Elias de Poot (far right) joins in to pose in bohemian-inspired outfits, accentuating a blend of cashmere, jacquard paisley and tartans, against a lush forest background. In some of the images, they are captured together with fellow models Frederikke Sofie (second from right) and Heather Kemesky (far left).

GIORGIO ARMANI
Monochrome Mood

For Russian model Andrey Zakharov (pictured above, left), being part of Giorgio Armani’s fall/winter campaign marks a special milestone. The black-and-white image series lensed by Mert and Marcus is his first high-end campaign. Nonetheless, he shares the spotlight with fellow models André Bona and Julian Schneyder (right) who are also chosen as the faces of Giorgio Armani’s seasonal ads. In these neat studio portraits, the trio is clad in refined knits, double-breasted jackets, minimal waistcoats and velvet tailoring, as pulled together by stylist Beat Bolliger.

LANVIN
Blue-collar Models

Lanvin’s fall/winter ’16/’17 collection not only celebrates a decade of Lucas Ossendrijver’s tenure at the house, but also marks his first collection since the departure of Alber Elbaz, the brand’s ex-creative director. For the campaign itself, models Benno Bulang, Leonardo Gaist, Max Doone and Cosmo Pyke (pictured above, far right to second from left) are styled by Sarah M. Richardson (who’s not a stranger to collaborating with Lanvin) and photographed by Collier Schorr. All five models are dressed to resemble young executives (with strikingly editorial-worthy faces, mind you) suited up in crisp blue shirts, slim belts, slim ties and slim-lapel suit jackets. While the ensembles may look nothing like the clothes on the runway, they demonstrate the quality tailoring that the longest running couturier in Paris is very much known for.

HUGO BOSS
Tall Dark Strangers

If Hugo Boss was all about rocker cool for spring/summer ’16, its fall/winter ’16/’17 campaign channels the image of a darker but still cool gentleman. Models Elias de Poot (pictured above), Finnlay Davis and Johannes Spaas show their serious side for photographer Brett Lloyd as the brand highlights the idea of modern sophistication through a selection of tailored camel coats, elegant suits and fitted knits, all styled by Tom Van Dorpe.

BALMAIN
Cry Your Heart Out

Balmain landed some famous names to literally shed tears in its moody black-and-white seasonal campaign, which smartly dabbles as a complete music video for Kanye West’s “Wolves” single. Behind the camera is photographer Steven Klein, who has previously shot the brand’s spring/summer ’16 ad. Front and center are comeback kids Ronald Epps and Francisco Lachowski, joined by equally famed models Jordan Barrett (pictured above) and Jon Kortajarena, all dressed up in Balmain’s signature bold and sparkly outfits. Leading the squad are none other than the impeccable duo Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West.

THE KOOPLES
Double Trouble

French fashion house The Kooples has long been known for portraying real-life couples on the campaigns. This season entails that and also creative partners behind an artistic lifestyle label. Stylist Melanie Ward along with The Kooples’ co-founder and director of image Raphaël Elicha himself were on duty to photograph an interesting lineup consisting of model couples Chloe and Will Chalker (pictured above); Sung Jin Park and Gabi Moon; and Art Comes First co-founders Sam Lambert and Shaka Maidoh.

BALLY
Blast from the Past

Unlike its previous campaigns, the Swiss brand’s fall/winter ’16/’17 ad takes on an edgier sense of fashion with embroidered jackets and leather accessories taken straight from the ’70s. Young British photographer Jack Davison came on board to realize the vision of design director Pablo Coppola, who “wanted to take a new approach by highlighting the personality of a group.” This new approach is impressively delivered through a diverse cast of male models from incredibly varied backgrounds. The final set of images feature Wang Chenming, Max Barczak, Thibaud Charon (pictured above, left to right) and Finnlay Davis.

DIESEL
Playing it Cool

Following its past ad campaigns that poked fun at social media and digital worlds in general, Diesel’s creative director Nicola Formichetti shines the spotlight on the fashion industry’s “joyful yet absurd behavior” by showing the funny parallels between typical fashion images versus behind-the-scenes reality. Through slogans like “One Step a Head,” “Stay in Line” and “Same Difference,” among others, Formichetti together with director/photographer duo Santiago and Mauricio celebrate the products with a twist on traditional advertising. Styling for the campaign is done by Davey Sutton, while the models featured include Lucas Ucedo, Miles Frank (pictured above) and Julian Schratter. More than just beautiful outfits that each image portrays, this one could very much paste a smile on your face.

VERSACE
Shades of Gray

After seventeen long years, renowned photographer Bruce Weber reunites with Versace for the Italian brand’s fall/
winter campaign shoot. Models Keith Milkie (pictured above), Bennett Jonas, Jacques Pougnet and Alex Sewall pulled off risqué poses, following Weber’s signature approach to masculine beauty. While the American photographer is known mostly for his black-and-white shots, one of the four photos came in full color and quite provocatively styled, featuring Bennett Jonas and Jacques Pougnet (pictured below, left to right) in a subtly romantic gesture.

FENTY X PUMA
Leap of Faith

Korean-Brit model Sang Woo Kim (pictured above) literally jumps into action for Rihanna’s Fenty x Puma fall/winter ’16/’17 collection. Photographed by Willy Vanderperre with styling by Alastair McKimm, Kim embraces oversized outerwear and pants in all black for a decidedly unisex look. Since the collection is inspired by Japanese art, both Puma and Rihanna decide to only cast Asian models to front the campaign with a roster that includes Fei Fei Sun, He Cong and Sang Woo Kim himself.

DOLCE & GABBANA
National Pride

Continuing its spring/summer campaign themed “Italia is Love,” Dolce & Gabbana’s fall/winter ’16/’17 ad series takes to the streets of Naples in southern Italy. This time around the luxury brand taps international photojournalist Franco Pagetti. A much more diverse model lineup—including Evan Fang, Zhao Lei, Federico Spinas, Adonis Bosso, Jegor Venned and Nathaniel Visser (pictured above, left to right)—is seen strutting down the cobbled streets of Spaccanapoli against a background full of laundry hanging, family businesses selling charms and icons, and street buskers strumming their guitars—some of the most authentic Italian scenes you can encounter there.

GUCCI
Lost in Tokyo

From Los Angeles to Berlin, Gucci has been globetrotting across continents for its psychedelic, surrealist ad campaigns. For fall/winter, models Christopher Paskowski, Joep Van de Sande (pictured above), Jack Chambers and Yan Kumral (pictured below) headed out to tea houses and pachinko parlors in Tokyo with Alessandro Michele’s go-to photographer Glen Luchford. Gucci’s creative team also managed to create the illusion that these photos were actually stills from a movie, accentuated by subtitles to help viewers imagine the soundtrack accompanying each image.

ROBERTO CAVALLI
Flower Power

Normally known for sultry va-vavoom campaign editorials, Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli has instead opted for bohemian and youth culture for their fall/winter ’16/’17 campaign under new creative director Peter Dundas. Photographed by British photographer Tim Walker—who is known for his whimsical fantasy imagery—the campaign features models Erik van Gils, Logan Flatte (pictured above) wand Benji Staker lounging in a ’70s-inspired collection, which included creations such as embroidered jackets, velvet pieces and printed shirts with a touch of androgyny. The poses are pretty whimsical, to say the least, with the models acting rather languid while still exuding a mysterious air.

CRAIG GREEN
View from Above

Never one to shy away from criticism, British designer Craig Green came up with a rather “millennial” way of photographing his eponymous brand’s fall/winter ’16/’17 campaign: with a drone. Directed by Ben Kelway and styled by Robbie Spencer, the entire collection is shown across six images featuring five models each for a final count of 30 looks. The models, dressed up in Green’s avant-garde unisex clothes, are seen piled around each other on a sand-covered surface. Moving away from typical fashion campaigns, Green wanted the images to appear more like a scientific documentary: cold, but with a dreamy feel to it.

15 Best Fall/Winter 2016 Men’s Campaigns