Diesel and David LaChapelle Offer Joyous Resistance With the Flamboyant 'Make Love Not Walls' Campaign

How do you break through an imposing wall of hate? With wild ballet dancing, same-sex kissing and an inflatable, rainbow-colored love-tank, of course! Fashion brand Diesel revels in diversity with its spring-summer "Make Love Not Walls" campaign, which was developed with Anomaly Amsterdam and includes a rousingly memorable short film by David LaChapelle. An Andy Warhol protégé, the celebrated photographer and director most famously worked with Diesel 22 years ago on the iconic "kissing sailors" ad, which caused a stir for showing two male swabbies sucking face. The new film, similarly smoochy in spots, opens with shirtless Ukrainian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin wandering through a wasteland. Soon, he approaches a winding gray wall topped by barbed wire. (Did Mexico foot the bill for that thing?) As the anthemic strains of Alex Vargas' "Higher Love" swell on the soundtrack, Polunin pirouettes for all he's worth. Folks on the other side of the wall join in the increasingly frenetic dance and toss flowers over the barrier. Can the wall possibly withstand this onslaught of good vibes? We all know the answer to that, now don't we? [kickout id="1"] "There are so many walls, symbolic and physical walls that are stopping people from being their true selves, from loving who they want to love, etc.," Diesel artistic director Nicola Formichetti tells AdFreak. "We wanted to spread a positive message and show that a brighter and exciting tomorrow is possible." You'll note that once a huge, heart-shaped hole is blown through the barrier, mainly stylish and attractive young people pour through to party. (Maybe the older, stocky set had to work that day.) Still, the cast is exceptionally diverse and on-brand. Along with Polunin, the performers include artist Stefan Meier (his illustrations feature in the campaign's photo collages); transsexual model Laith de la Cruz; androgynous queer artist Karis Wilde; 2016 parallel and horizontal bar Olympic silver medalist Danell Leyva; makeup artist/drag star Raja; and transgender model Octavia Hamlett. "As you can imagine, it was a big production," Formichetti says. "We built an actual wall in the middle of a desert and created an inflatable tank with a wedding scene and acrobats, which we shot over several days." And that tank will go on tour, visiting Berlin, London, Milan, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo. "It was David's idea to have a rainbow tank," says Formichetti. "The tank is now a symbol of hope, a machine that used to divide now unites us!" Along with the film and other digital assets, the brand campaign includes out-of-home elements in the U.S., Europe and Asia. While somewhat hokey, harkening back to flower power/hippy themes (the tagline is a play on the counterculture slogan "Make Love, Not War"), the work is also timely and irresistibly sweet. (Dig that groovy tank with its flaccid cannon flapping in the wind!) Also, because Diesel has long featured social issues in its ads, this approach feels genuine, and the brand isn't concerned about seemingly jumping on the anti-Trump bandwagon. (Marketers such as Aeromexico, Corona and Tecate have all taken notable shots at our president's proposed border wall.) "Diesel has always pushed boundaries, broken barriers and is a strong brand that believes in togetherness," Formichetti says. "We need to act right now, and this campaign is our voice in the name of unity and love." More print work below. Click the images to enlarge. CREDITS Client: Diesel Campaign: Make Love Not Walls Riccardo Bellini - Global CMO Giada Gheno - Global Head of Advertising, Media & Product Marketing Nicola Formichetti - Artistic Director Jacob Wildschioedtz - Creative Director Agency: Anomaly Amsterdam Talent: Sergei Polunin, Stefan Meier, Danell Leyva, Octavia Hamlett, Laith de la Cruz, Raja, Karis Wilde, Taylor Banks, Kyle Kleiboeker, Jonathan Rivas, Britni Sumida, Vinny Balbo, Jeremiah Buren, Krista Jaspers, Miles Woods, Sabeerah Najee-Ullah, Junji Dezaki, Thais de Lima, Cody Callahan, Adeng, Erika Angel, Jay Decasby, Annie McGinty, Hanni Larma Production Co.: CXA and Maavven Photographer/Director: David Lachapelle DoP: Fredrik Jacobi Production design: Annie Sperling Executive Producer(s): Steven Pranica, Coleen Haynes Editor: Govert Janse Post Production Company: The Moving Picture Company Ltd. Music supervision: Amp.Amsterdam Music: 'Higher Love’ by Alex Vargas. Listen here: http://alexvargas.lnk.to/HigherLove Remixed: Brewhouse.Amplified Audio post production: Amp.Amsterdam Colorist: Ricky Gausis

AdFreak

Diesel and David LaChapelle Offer Joyous Resistance With the Flamboyant 'Make Love Not Walls' Campaign

Breaking down all barriers, physical and symbolic

David Gianatasio

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

David Gianatasio