The Editorialization of Brand Social
Brands like Aritzia, On, Skims & Chamberlain Coffee are taking a page from the luxury fashion playbook
Nara Smith, trad wife TikTokker and fashion darling, is a bit like a scientist: she concocts, from scratch, recipes that we non-influencers would never dream of crafting, from chewing gum to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. So it was fitting that last month, Aritzia, the go-to brand for office sirens and athleisure mavens everywhere, enlisted model mom Smith to be head scientist of its “Institute for Soft Science.” Said Institute is a fictional “lab” where the brand’s new Sweatfleece activewear is created, crafted, and tested.
While much has been said about Smith and her epic rise in popularity (she has 9.7 million followers on TikTok alone), what struck me most about the partnership was its inventiveness: Not only was it a great use of an influencer - the brand took her out of her TikTok-trad-wife sphere - and inserted her into a conceptual, retro-futuristic, Severance-inspired fleece-making science lab. The resulting campaign images were a masterclass in world-building: see Nara, looking impeccably perfect and dressed head-to-toe in Sweatfleece and a lab coat, existing in a dystopian, underground “Institute” spinning around in an office chair, or doing quality assurance checks on freshly pressed sweats, all within a mysteriously empty, pink-carpeted corporate lab.
Distinctly editorial in feel, the images (and corresponding video) were driven by concept and storytelling, bringing forth a magazine-style approach that felt like a breath of fresh air amidst the noise of megaphone-style brand content featuring this or that influencer telling us why X product will change their lives. While many brands are becoming clones of one another on social media, these high-concept shoots take a page from magazine editorials of old - always creative, thought-provoking, and, yes, thumb-stopping.
Aritzia isn’t alone in going the editorial route: recent campaigns by Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee, On Running’s partnership with FKA Twigs, and of course, {insert-celeb-of-the-moment} Skims, take a high-concept approach to brand content that feels a bit like a throwback to luxury fashion editorials from the heyday of V Magazine and Vogue Italia.
Not surprisingly, these brands are taking cues from the luxury playbook: If you want your brand to feel special, create extraordinary content. That often means creating content for the end consumer, not for the algorithm. Luxury fashion brands like Loewe, Saint Laurent, Hermes, and many others have long been known for taking an editorial approach to their content and campaigns by partnering with artists or developing high-concept photography that could fit well within fashion magazine spreads. Perhaps spurred by the recent return of print magazines, non-luxury brands are getting in on this big editorial energy by curating their feeds for ever-more discerning, social-fatigued consumers.
First up, some context: we can’t talk about all of this without talking about Skims, which has been pushing a fashion-editorial vibe in its brand social for the last few years. By partnering with of-the-moment starlets and photographers who bridge the gap between fashion and art, they’ve often created unexpected yet culturally relevant mash-ups that create new brand worlds for their trademark shapewear and loungewear.
While some of their campaigns have been a bit hit-and-miss (Charli XCX’s was a little lacklustre IMO, lacking in concept), recent shoots with Sabrina Carpenter posing as a bombshell-Lolita-in-her-teenage bedroom, shot by photographer Jack Bridgland, and Bridgerton’s Nicola Couglan starring as a modern Renaissance painting come to life, have pushed the needle towards a renewed appreciation for high-concept, still photography worthy of magazine editorials. Interestingly, even Skims’ non-celebrity social imagery pushes a high-fashion feel: one of its latest campaigns, shot by artist Vanessa Beecroft, pays a distinct homage to the late, great fashion photographer Helmut Newton.
Like Aritzia, Chamberlain Coffee, YouTuber/It-girl Emma Chamberlain’s signature coffee and matcha line has taken a similar tack to its brand social. A sharp curator of her brand and persona, which marries a high-fashion sensibility with a trademark sense of quirkiness, Emma’s Chamberlain Coffee often showcases editorial-driven photos and videos. Most recently, for the Cold Brew Chemist Collection, Chamberlain posed as a pseudo-scientist, complete with eye-protecting goggles, fashion-y white lab coat (could it be Thom Browne?), mysterious potions and bunsen burners, shot by fashion photographer Amber Asaly. Meanwhile, previous campaigns have seen Chamberlain adopt the personas of a retro-80s Olympian and a Marilyn Monroe-esque pin-up (also shot by Asaly).
By taking on a series of different characters in editorial scenarios, Chamberlain has created something akin to a brand social magazine, with every new campaign delivering a new take or persona in her brand world. Do I want to see more of Emma cosplaying her way to selling me coffee? Quite frankly, yes. She’s as endearingly funny as she is stylish, and it makes you wish more brands would strive to have as much fun.
With its recent partnership with dancer/musician FKA Twigs, On Running has elevated activewear to the level of performance art. The brand gave Twigs the creative director keys on “The Body is Art” - an editorial-forward campaign showcasing Twigs' avant-garde dance approach, with images of the body in mid-movement.
Shot by artist Jordan Hemingway, whose credits include editorials for Love, Another and W Magazine, the photos centre the idea of movement as a form of art and self-expression, with Twigs in a series of gravity-defying poses that evoke flow and energy. What started with an editorial photoshoot featuring Twigs in a series of uncanny poses for On’s new activewear line became a full-fledged performance during London Fashion Week. Twigs staged a live, immersive performance of “The Body is Art,” which blended music, dance, and visual art and celebrated the beauty of bodies in motion.
While On’s partnership with Twigs is one piece of its overall brand strategy, the collaboration highlights a common theme among brands looking to elevate their status to the luxury level. By partnering with artists and building worlds through story-driven, high-concept photography, brands take on new layers of meaning that transcend product. With a focus on artfully curated, still photography, brands can stand out and offer a moment of respite from the cacophony of voices that fill peoples’ social feeds.
This isn’t to say that this approach is suitable for every brand. But, if you want to stand out on social now, do the opposite of what everyone else is doing, and you may reap the rewards.
Required Reading:
“Playing Dress-up” by
"Photos Still Matter on Brand Social” by
"The Time is Right for a Magalog Renaissance” by
Kristen Vinakmens is a content strategist, brand marketer and former/sometime journalist based in Toronto, Canada. She specializes in content strategy, editorial direction and cultural strategy, helping brands get laser-focused on their content, positioning and point of view to reach their audiences where they are. As a former beauty and fashion editor, she also has impeccable taste.
love this but my question is how do you convince corporate leadership that investment in high quality high concept image making is worthwhile when this type of content doesn’t typically “perform” as well on social media from a concrete data perspective? Ofc us proponents of this approach are aware it contributes positively to overall brand perception lift but I’m finding it really difficult to convince bottom line oriented folks of the ROI. Alternatively, how do you ensure this type of content will receive high engagement/conversion and is that even possible? Struggling out here 🫠
Thanks for the Link in Bio shout out!!