Swizz Beatz is one of the few people in the world connected to the world of fine art, music, high fashion, and the streets. He brings these previously separate worlds together with his new collab with Bally, the second oldest luxury fashion brand in the world. The collection features the artwork of No Commissions artist Ricardo Cavolo. Swizz curated a unisex line that utilizes iconic characters created by Cavolo. Bally's released advertising for the campaign was primarily animation graphics - not quite the Fine Art meets Hip-Hop feel that Swizz was going for. That's when we got involved.
We decided to create a campaign that show cased talent that bridged these worlds together as well: kings and queens, empowered by their own eclectic diversity. We wanted to make something that would resonate with the culture that Swizz already such an influence over, a market previously out of contact to the Bally's brand. Our goal was to make something that would put Bally on par with brands like Gucci and Louis in the Hood. We wanted to create a campaign that shocked the high fashion world and let everybody from every walk of life know that Bally is back.
We started by reaching out to artists that are in tune with the streets. We looked for lesser known artists with unique, iconic looks like Jason Santore, to combine with household names like Joey Bada$$. Once we got the talent, everything began to fall into place. We had a studio that could accommodate shooting photos and video simultaneously. Our producers kept the talent moving from room to room so we were able to maximize the workflow.
As the day rolled on the creative juices kept flowing. Each model would inspire the next to step their game up. Everyone working together to achieve Swizz's vision. As day turned to night, word got out and the set turned into a destination for Swizz's crew. Diddy and French Montana showed up with Ice Cream cones in hand and we knew it was about to get crazy. We spent the final hours of the night fighting with Diddy's personal paparazzi to get the shots we needed.
In the end, Timeless Eye was able to accomplish what it does best: creating boundary pushing work that bridges worlds together to reach a global audience.
Cole Cook handled the photography, while Luke Wright headed up the video team as Director. Sammy Levine made his commercial debut as Director of Photography.
The videos will be on display at the Madison Ave Bally Store until 10-4-17.
