A name as ubiquitous and lauded as Valentino doesn’t maintain its prominence solely based on its amazing designs; it requires an equally talented team to communicate the works of this celebrated Italian company. One of the essential elements to this end has been the utilization of Jahved Crockett as the art director, video director, and editor of a series of profoundly successful online campaigns.
Crockett’s work featured a variety of high profile individuals from the world of fashion and music. Celebrities fans are nothing new to Valentino. Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lopez, Courtney Cox, Sophie Hunter, and Princess Madeleine of Sweden have all worn Valentino creations and praised their designs.
With a quarter of a Billion-dollar net income, Valentino can enlist the best to work with them; Jahved’s resume which boast his collaborations with Sneakerboy, Stylebop, Jimmy Choo, and Lady Gaga, convinced this iconic fashion name that he was the ideal candidate to cultivate a modern mood for these videos.
Antonella De Nicola and GianMario Motta of Spring Studios Milan procured Jahved to create an all-inclusive package that covered documentation of the shows which took place in May and June of 2018. From runway shots to documenting internationally famed music stars who attended these shows, these videos communicate the excitement and class that is instilled in the Valentino name.
Crockett’s work began long before the actual fashion shows with a series of teasers. He created these six mini-productions with a low-res 90’s street style. Ranging from male models lip syncing to the song by A$AP Ferg ft. Future “New Level”, just hanging out, or even the simplicity of seeing the landmark Eiffel Tower at night with basic information about the Valentino show, these videos simultaneously contradicted the status quo lavish productions and spoke to a modern generation.
Lip Sync
These were followed by videos Jahved shot and edited from the actual runway shows set to “Diamonds” by Keith Ape ft. Jedi P. The insinuation of these videos is that they were casual in being captured but the truth reveals quite the opposite. The music accompanying the videos was carefully chosen while Crockett created his own unique filters and video effects, placing his very unique signature on them.
The show runway footage
This well devised gamble paid off as Jahved relates, “The content for the show was created to reach a wider audience than the usual fashion crowd. Valentino’s collaboration with the music world also brought in a lot of music fans who don’t normally associate with high end fashion shows. The shift to a more street wear millennial style was also a move towards attracting a broader audience, trying to make the fashion world more inclusive and relevant.
My content’s tone was more street style and current than most higher end fashion show’s content. It did appeal to a younger crowd. Some of the older viewers didn’t like it so much as they have a specific idea of what Valentino should be. However, Valentino wanted to show that it can innovate and appeal to the next generation, as was seen in the collection and content.”
Confirming the music world and Valentino mutual affinity was a series of videos which featured some of the most internationally respected and popular artists attending the show in Paris. South Korean rapper Ape, American singer songwriter Syd, US rapper A$AP Ferg, and American rapper/songwriter NAS are all seen admiring the Valentino collection at the show and attending the VIP dinner. This displays the open dialogue with artist of a new generation that Valentino feels is vital to the open dialogue essential to evolution.
Syd (music artist) video
A$AP Ferg (music artist) video
Jahved’s work process on this campaign confirms the notion that there will always be change but there is a way to integrate tradition with the contemporary. The spectacle and chaos of the fashion show still endures but one need look no further than Crockett’s lip sync video for this campaign which was created with a camera, a Bluetooth speaker, and a few male models, to understand that talent always reaches its audience. Valentino wanted to let the youth market know that they were desired; Jahved Crockett was the ideal facilitator of this result.