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Trend: One-off Ads?

spring 09 zac posen ad first ever for designer.jpgA couple weeks ago, the first ever Rodarte ad was revealed, months after it appeared in Anthem’s fall issue, which was apparently the only time it appeared at all. The image, featuring a blood-splattered wall behind Karen Elson, was the result of a spontaneous shoot that ended up serving as a one-off ad for the brand that had never advertised before (they have since launched a “real” ad for Spring 09).

And now, it looks like Zac Posen has the done the same: The young designer, who has never launched an ad campaign for his nonetheless coveted label, got some of his fashion friends together to create a one-off ad for Spring 09 to appear in Fanzine 137, an indie magazine from Madrid (though the image does appear first in today’s WWD).

So are quiet, one-time-only ads the new way to go for young designers looking to establish their identity without emptying out their wallets? We’ll see - but if Gareth somehow gets Beyonce to pose under his name for a full-page glossy image, you can call it on a trend on arrival.

Comments

1

posted by darcykins

Mar 30, 2009 10:14AM

this ad looks shitty.
the cat is cute though.
can't these designers think of something more creative?

avatar
2

posted by guest

Mar 30, 2009 7:54PM

natalie - check out old issues of self service from the late 90's when they gave free ad pages to young designers. they didn't have enough paying advertisers then and this was a good way to pad the magazine. and to allow the designers to come up with "ad" images. this has been happening longer than the rodarte or zac posen "ads".

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