Portrait of American Summer 2017
Valerio Spada
GAP / American Diversity Campaign

AdWeek (aka AdFreak) did a short piece on the Gap’s current Summer ’17 campaign shot by Victor Spada. They managed to be both snarky and respectful in the same breath while featuring a ton of images from Victor, all shot on film and processed you know where ….

Valario Spada: GAP Portrait of American Summer 2017

Here’s an excerpt:

Gap is continuing to celebrate the diversity of the young people it wants to buy its clothes.

A new print and video campaign, titled “I Am Gap,” from Untitled Worldwide takes a look at a range of personalities—found via street casting, rather than via a modeling agency—that the clothing retailer hopes captures the spirit of its brand.

Stills from the campaign feature faces from different backgrounds striking familiar fashion poses, while being hip and attractive.

A short anthem spot, meanwhile, summarizes the core thrust of the marketing effort. “You are the quiet strength in a roaring city,” it says. “You are the free spirit who welcomes the unknown. You are the cattle driver, the BMX rider, the artist in the making. You are worlds apart in life but neighbors in optimistic spirit. You are America. You are Gap.”

Because nothing says land of the free and home of the brave like off-the-rack denim, blouses and tees.

It’s a basic strategy consistent with the marketer’s fall 2016 campaign, also created with Untitled, which beautifully documented the likes of Brooklyn United, a community marching band for kids, teens and young adults. The tagline for that advertising was “Do You.” “I Am Gap” is channeled as an explicitly inclusive, patriotic concept, if perhaps less powerfully.

The fashion industry in general has struggled to represent a diverse cross-section of cultures in advertising, even as it has begun to improve diversity on the runway. Gap is one of a few notable exceptions.

See a small selection of the print ads below:

Valario Spada: GAP Portrait of American Summer 2017

Tags: Film Processing, Scanning, Valario Spada