Marks & Spencer, the British high-street label, decided to pull together an inspirational group of women for its latest advertising campaign.
Shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, the latest Marks & Spencer campaign stars a bevy of the UK’s top female talent, photographed in pieces from the latest autumn collections. Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren leads the line-up, describing the 12-strong all-girl gang as “like going to the ultimate dinner party.”
In fact the creative industries are pretty heavily represented. Mirren was joined by Darcey Bussell (former Principal Ballerina at the Royal Ballet), Brit-Art legend Tracey Emin, US Vogue’s creative director Grace Coddington, fellow red-head fashionista and supermodel Karen Elson, and musician Ellie Goulding.
However there were also high-flyers from the world of sports and public service, including Jasmine Whitbread, the CEO of Save the Children International, and 2011 Nurse of the Year Helen Allen.
“We wanted this campaign to signal a new and confident tone of voice to introduce Autumn,” said M&S’s Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne. “Annie was the perfect choice to shoot a campaign of this magnitude. Her unmistakable, signature style, with its truly dramatic aesthetic was exactly what we needed to communicate the essence of the campaign and of the new M&S.”
Styled by Harpers Bazaar and Tatler contributor Hannah Teare, the images will appear around the UK from September 3 as well as in the brand’s international flagships in Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Gurgaon, Dubai, Istanbul, Moscow, Prague, Singapore and Amsterdam.
