SPRING 2021

Burberry’s Latest Campaign Star Is a CGI Naomi Campbell

by Steph Eckardt and W Staff
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Naomi Campbell in a Burberry campaign
Courtesy of Burberry / Inez & Vinoodh

The pandemic may have upended the past few seasons of fashion weeks, but their accompanying campaigns continue to roll out as reliably as ever. In fact, some houses have even upped the ante for spring 2021. Five days into the new year, Prada rolled out its first ads since Raf Simons joined Miuccia Prada as creative director. It was far from the usual outing. Instead of being lensed by one of the standard marquee photographers, the portfolio was shot by “no one.” (At least, that’s how Prada put it; shout out to the unnamed employees who controlled hundreds of cameras and edited down the resulting countless 360-degree views.) It only took two days for Ugg, of all brands, to arguably one-up the pair by casting industry icon André Leon Talley. Since then, Lourdes Leon has followed in her mom’s footsteps by starring as a Marc Jacobs muse, and Burberry has tapped models (Naomi Campbell and Kendall Jenner) and musicians (FKA Twigs and Shygirl) alike. See all those and track the ones that follow, here.

Burberry
Courtesy of Burberry / Danko Steiner

Riccardo Tisci went all out with the set of Burberry’s TB Summer Monogram campaign, starring artist Frederik Heyman’s CGI version of longtime Tisci muse Naomi Campbell.

Burberry
Courtesy of Burberry / Inez and Vinoodh

For Burberry’s Olympia bag campaign, Riccardo Tisci tapped three women “who embody the power and beauty of feminine energy”: Kendall Jenner, FKA Twigs, and Shygirl.

Courtesy of Burberry / Inez and Vinoodh

FKA Twigs showed off the handiwork of the make-up artist Kabuki Magic and hairstylists Jimmy Paul and Lacy Redway.

Burberry
Courtesy of Burberry / Inez and Vinoodh

Last but not least, Inez & Vinoodh also photographed Shygirl, the breakout East London musician.

Valentino
Kenny Cousins and Dante Crisafulli

Valentino teamed up with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist book club for the latest chapter in its Collezione Milano campaign titled “The Narratives.” Together, they tapped nine independent bookstores across the U.S. to showcase the campaign and offer shoppers a special edition Valentino x Belletrist red tote. Additionally, the revered Maison made a donation to each of the indie booksellers and photographed the owners—among them, The Lit Bar’s Noëlle Santos (above) and Books Are Magic’s Emma Straub—outside their storefronts wearing Valentino, naturally.

Diesel
Photo by Hugo Comte

Glenn Martens, creative director of Diesel (and Y/Project), fittingly titled this Hugo Comte shoot “Fake Smiles.”

Louis Vuitton
Photo by Steven Meisel

Longtime Louis Vuitton muse Léa Seydoux hit the sheets with the house’s classic Capucines bag.

Valentino
Photo courtesy of Cedric Nzaka

The beloved 19-year-old comedian Elsa Majimbo posed for Cedric Nzaka from her home in Nairobi, Kenya to mark her new partnership with Valentino. (It comes complete with a book, titled The Alphabet for Kids & Adults.)

Marc Jacobs
Photo by Stevie Dance

Marc Jacobs treated Bella Hadid to a lollipop for modeling his latest eyewear.

Zara
Photo by Steven Meisel

Achenrin Madit joined the photographer Steven Meisel in the California desert for Zara.

Loewe
Photo by Gray Sorrenti

Jonathan Anderson followed in Miu Miu’s footsteps by casting a star of The Crown season 4 for Loewe’s latest, starring an airborne Josh O’Connor.

Molly Goddard
Photo by Theo Sion

Molly Goddard’s Ugg platforms are perhaps the boldest footwear yet in the brand’s string of designer collabs.

Lanvin
Photo by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot

Lanvin’s Bruno Sialelli cast Paris Hilton as a precursor to the influencer: one of the society women of 1950s New York City, who were then known as “swans.”

COS
Photo by Karim Sadli

COS outfitted the model, writer, and filmmaker Adesuwa Aighewi in a collection made of 86 percent sustainably sourced materials.

Mônot
Photo by Micaiah Carter

Micaiah Carter photographed Tiffany Haddish for Mônot’s third collection, which referenced Madonna’s 1992 book Sex.

Hood by Air
Photo by Luis Alberto Rodriguez

Hood by Air’s comeback would have made waves anyway, but Shayne Oliver went the extra step of pairing the photographer Luis Alberto Rodriguez with none other than Naomi Campbell.

Etnia Barcelona
Photo by Mous Lamrabat

The Spanish brand Etnia Barcelona styled its latest sunglasses with sculptural coifs by Sanne Schoofs.

Self-Portrait
Photo by Nigel Shafran

Self-Portrait’s Han Chong got in on the Bridgerton hype by casting Phoebe Dynevor to model a collection inspired by British sensibility.

Calvin Klein
Photo by Mario Sorrenti via Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein continues to collaborate with Mario Sorrenti, the photographer behind its iconic Obsession campaign starring Kate Moss. Their latest stars a wide-ranging cast, including Megan Thee Stallion, Rina Sawayama, Jacob Elordi, and the collective Queer Skate LA.

Stuart Weitzman
Photo by Ethan James Green via Stuart Weitzman

A special guest joined Serena Williams in her Stuart Weitzman campaign, photographed by Ethan James Green: her three year old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanan Jr.

Theory
Photo by Mark Kean via Theory

Theory dressed runway regular Cyrielle Lalanne in a wardrobe fit for Zoom.

Sandro
Photo by Eddie Wrey via Sandro

Sandro hit the road with the model Lucas El Bali and the photographer Eddie Wrey.

Burberry
Juergen Teller for Burberry

A literal change in scenery from traditional studio to the great outdoors provides viewers with dual perspectives of Burberry's utilitarian spring collection.

Celine
Hedi Slimane via Celine

Celine’s Hedi Slimane convinced Kaia Gerber to ditch her Uggs-and-leggings uniform for a photo shoot in Monaco.

Simone Rocha x H&M
Photo by Tyler Mitchell

Simone Rocha cast not one, but two breakout actors—Daisy Edgar-Jones of Normal People, and Michael Ward of Small Axe—to debut her collaboration with H&M. (Not to mention the hairstylist Cyndia Harvey and photographer Tyler Mitchell.)

Alberta Ferretti
Courtesy of Alberta Ferretti

Federico De Angelis photographed Vittoria Ceretti in tie-dye chiffon for Alberta Ferretti.

MICHAEL Michael Kors
Courtesy of Michael Kors

Bella Hadid embarked on a tour of New York City, from New York Harbor to Empire Diner, for the latest MICHAEL Michael Kors campaign.

Marc Jacobs
Bianca Capozzi via Marc Jacobs

Leave it to none other than Lourdes Leon to turn out another spring campaign in 2021, and while her mom may have collaborated with Marc Jacobs back in the day, rest assured that Leon is making her own way as the model of the moment. Her status as an “It” girl only seems to skyrocket these days, with a newly-minted Instagram account and a colorful THE Marc Jacobs SS21 accessory campaign photographed by Bianca Capozzi and styled by Haley Wollens.

Bottega Veneta
Tyrone Lebon via Bottega Veneta

Creative director Daniel Lee can’t get enough of this shade of green, which also appeared in Bottega Veneta’s spring 2021 collection and covered invitations to the digital runway show.

Tommy Hilfiger
Clara Balzary via Tommy Hilfiger

The activists who founded the Compton Cowboys can usually be found in L.A., teaching horse-riding as a means to uplift the community and call attention to the rich, oft-overlooked legacy of African-American equestrians. At the behest of Tommy Hilfiger, they took a break to join Indya Moore and Jameela Jamil in the designer’s spring 2020 campaign.

Kenzo
Glen Luchford via Kenzo

Felipe Oliveira Baptista got his hands on a Segway for his second campaign at Kenzo’s helm.

Marine Serre

Marine Serre collaborated on a short film with the directors Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago, starring the singer Sevdaliza and three adorable brothers named Noé, Rui, and Gil.

Givenchy
Heji Shin via Givenchy

Matthew M. Williams made a statement with his first Givenchy campaign by allowing others to do the same: Bella Hadid, Playboi Carti, Kendall Jenner, Liam Powers, and Anok Yai all styled themselves.

AMI
Photo by Michael Bailey Gates via AMI

The cast of AMI’s latest, photographed by Michael Bailey Gates, included Jeranimo Van Russel, Lily McMenamy, and a dove.

Sacai
Courtesy of Sacai

Sacai tapped a host of tastemakers for its spring 2021 campaign, called “Love Over Rules”—namely, the artist and activist Chella Man, pictured here, and Hank Willis Thomas, who collaborated with the fashion house on the project (and appears in the ads as well).

Moschino
Courtesy of Moschino

Jeremy Scott brought the marionettes who walked Moschino’s spring 2021 show to life, with a little help from Julia Nobis and Bella Hadid.

Michael Kors Collection
Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

Hiandra Martinez and Rebecca Longendyke took a trip to the New York Restoration Project’s community garden in the Bronx for Michael Kors Collection.

FM 699
Courtesy of FM669

The sustainable cotton-wear label FM 669 launched with a campaign starring Muhammad Fadel Lo and an evidently unretired Lindsey Wixson.

Moscot
Courtesy of Moscot

The New York-based label Moscot shot its spring 2021 tinted glasses on, under, and around the Manhattan Bridge.

Miu Miu
Photo by Steven Meisel, courtesy of Miu Miu

Things couldn’t be more different for Emma Corrin since her first Miu Miu campaign, which dropped a month before the previously unknown actor’s debut on The Crown. This time, she’s the standout of the five faces Miu Miu tapped for spring 2021.

MCM
Photo by Mathilde Agius and Manual Carvalho, courtesy of MCM

The German label MCM used CGI to create an “augmented safari,” working with the same team that will head up the visuals for The Matrix 4.

Jil Sander
Photo by Bibi Borthwick, courtesy of Jil Sander

Social distancing didn’t stop Jil Sander from rolling out the second installment of its campaign project focused on touch. Lucie and Luke Meier again enlisted four photographers, including Bibi Borthwick, who photographed Lily McMenamy.

Chloé
Photo by Ezra Petronio, courtesy of Chloé

Clip-on lenses made a comeback on Mao Xiaoxing and Felice Noordhoff in Chloé’s spring 2021 eyewear campaign.

Stella McCartney x Adidas
Photo by Anna Pollock via Stella McCartney

If anyone else were Madonna’s eldest daughter, this spring 2021 Stella McCartney x Adidas ad would be only the latest in a lengthy list of campaigns. Lourdes Leon, on the other hand, has chosen to become fashion’s quietest “It” girl; McCartney is the only designer with whom she’s repeatedly collaborated in her 24 years on Earth.

Coach
Photo by Renell Medrano for Coach.

Longtime Coach muse (and Lori Harvey’s recently confirmed beau) Michael B. Jordan was photographed alongside J.Lo and more by industry favorite Renell Medrano for Coach’s “Coach It Forward” spring 2021 campaign.

Versace
Photo by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott via Versace

Three months after joining Jill Kortleve and Paloma Elsesser in making history as the first “plus-size” models to walk a Versace runway, Lee has joined the house in another milestone. She’s now also the first “plus-size” model to land a Versace campaign. To Donatella Versace, Lee, Kendall Jenner, and Hailey Bieber embody the “modern Medusa,” making them rulers of the mythical world of Versacepolis.

Fendi
Courtesy of Fendi

Fendi tapped Nick Knight to photograph models like Estelle Chen (pictured above), Maricarla Boscono, and Jill Kortleve. (The latter joined Paloma Elsesser in becoming the house’s first “plus-size” runway models in February of 2020.)

Ugg
Courtesy of Ugg

André Leon Talley followed in the footsteps of Kyle Maclachlan, Kim Gordon, and Vic Mensa as the face of Ugg for spring 2021. The controversial shoes are “comfort food for my feet,” the inimitably extravagant industry icon said.

Louis Vuitton
Photo by Mikael Jansson, courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Actor and Louis Vuitton muse Laura Harrier took on the role of a surfer to model the house’s “Twist” bag in Malibu.

Saint Laurent
Courtesy of Saint Laurent

Catherine Deneuve was just 22 when she met Yves Saint Laurent. Fifty-five years later, the 77-year-old actor remains true to the house; creative director Anthony Vaccarello enlisted photographer David Sims to make her the latest face of the classic Saint Laurent trench coat.

Prada
Photo by “no one,” courtesy of Prada

It was no surprise that Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada chose industry stalwart Juergen Teller to photograph their first joint Prada collection’s look book. Their choice campaign photographer, however, couldn’t be more surprising: The pair went with “no one.”

This article was originally published on