Luxury house Miu Miu unveiled its 2024 Bag campaign, that pays tribute to color, femininity, and the timeless allure of fashion, starring supermodel Gigi Hadid lensed by fashion photographer Steven Meisel. In charge of styling was Lotta Volkova, with creative direction from Edward Quarmby. Celebrating its signature matelassé, Miu Miu presents the iconic Wander and Arcadie bags, embodying the essence of the Miu Miu persona with a modern twist. This campaign highlights the brand’s innovative design while also paying tribute to the historical figures of female creativity, drawing inspiration from the stylized work of the British interwar photographer Yevonde.
Yevonde, a pioneering feminist and suffragette, broke barriers in the early 20th century with her groundbreaking approach to photography. During an era when professional opportunities were mostly closed off to women, she defied the odds by establishing her own studio at the age of 21. She bravely signed her work with her first name, asserting her identity and authorship as a woman. Her work, celebrated for its use of color and surreal arrangements, depicted models and high society elites within utopian settings of imaginative props, drapery, and foliage.
In this contemporary campaign, Miu Miu respectfully nods to Yevonde’s visionary aesthetic, mirroring her delicately nuanced and considered approach to color. The images produced by Meisel resonate with Yevonde’s signature fractured colortones, presenting instinctive and joyful contrasts that are both respectful homage and vibrant reimagining. The new colorways of the Arcadie and Wander bags – joining classic shades of Caramel and Cognac with bright orange and soleil – reflect this interplay of past and present, traditional and bold.
Each photograph in the campaign, featuring the contemplative poise of fallen petals, carefully-gestured hands, and the tender embrace of the bags, channels the spirit of a bygone era while pulsating with the bold attitudes of today. Through Meisel’s lens, the campaign bridges time, merging the serene beauty of the past with the spontaneous spirit of the modern world.
Gigi Hadid’s portrayal in the campaign evokes the subjects of Yevonde’s photographs, who were themselves between the worlds of the everyday and the elite. In this role, Gigi represents a modern reflection of the Miu Miu persona, connecting the timeless tribute to pure beauty with the re-awakening of past lives through fashion.
