10 years ago I wrote a post about a Tod’s campaign shot by one of my favourite photographers:
81-year-old photographer Elliott Erwitt has collaborated with Tod’s for the ‘Icons by an Icon’ project to create 40 black and white portraits. The photographs show 22 elegant families from Europe and the US wearing the brand’s classics, such as the Gommino and Ballerina shoes, and are currently exhibited in their shop windows.
The idea originated from Italian Touch, a coffee-table book that Tod’s published last year featuring pictures of well-known Italian families. As they describe it: “real people at ease in the privacy of their estates”.
In my opinion the images are fantastic and I applaud this trend of not using models in advertising campaigns but people from other professions in everyday situations (not necessarily posing). I feel customers can relate to a brand so much more when this is done.
Tod’s continued to frame their products inside the context of the Italian way of life in other campaigns such as ‘Italian Portraits‘ which was also published into a book and accompanied by videos. One of my favourite ‘portraits’ was of Giovanni Mazzei as I liked his style, which I think is similar to mine, but also many of the things he said about land (nature), wine (his family business) and friendship. It’s the following however which stuck with me above all else and I try to keep it in mind:
Our family motto is “fortis in adversis”, strength in adversity. It’s not important to be strong all of the time but it times of hardship that one’s strength must emerge.
I have sometimes thought of life as a series of waves. When things are going well, you’re riding the wave, you’re on top of the world. But they’ll be a point when it crashes and it’s important to be ready for that.
My Excerpts 