LONDON — Coco de Mer has tapped Rankin to shoot the brand’s latest film, and has named Pamela Anderson its international brand ambassador, WWD has learned.
“I have a real attraction to Coco de Mer, which produces such beautiful lingerie,” said Anderson. “I appreciate the way that Lucy [Litwack, chief executive officer of Coco De Mer] and her team have developed the Coco de Mer philosophy; it is so complementary to my own. The designs are always seductive, luxurious and fashion relevant. This has been an inspiring experience, and I am really excited about future collaborations with Coco de Mer.”
Anderson features in the movie by Rankin and his creative agency The Full Service. The seductive short film, which was shot in London, features Anderson at her apartment as she gets ready for Valentine’s Day and wears several styles from the Gaia summer 2017 range.
“Our intention was clear from the beginning,” Rankin said of the campaign. “You associate lingerie brands with Valentine’s Day the way you associate certain brands with Christmas and Easter. We wanted to subvert that, and play with expectations — to do something different but humorous. Coco de Mer got it straight away; it’s testament to them that they were willing to go for it. And once Pamela was on board, we knew we were on to something.”
Rankin said that Anderson continually challenges herself and those around her. “A true intellectual and a joy to work with. For me and all my crew. She wanted to challenge herself, to make a statement, and you could see everyone feed off that on set, which made her ideal for Coco de Mer. The Full Service wanted to create something that played with people’s perceptions of Valentine’s Day. It’s a punchy move from Coco de Mer, but is testament to the brand and the powerhouse creativity of The Full Service’s concept that everyone was totally up for it.”
This is the second time that the British photographer has worked with the lingerie brand. They had partnered before, working on an erotic short film in 2015.
Launched in 2001 by Debbie Sim, Sam Roddick — daughter of The Body Shop founder Anita Roddick — and Adae Elena Amats, the boutique is located in Covent Garden and the collection is sold at Harrods. The company sells lingerie, loungewear, bedroom toys and edible massage oils, among other items. The film will be shown in the Covent Garden store window and during a private view of the Sotheby’s Erotic exhibition on Valentine’s Day.
“We wanted to think about Valentine’s Day in a different way,” said Litwack. “It’s about women taking control. Moving away from stereotypes and allowing each and every woman to own Valentine’s Day, without worrying whether they have a partner. At the end of the day, no one knows you better than you. So explore your deepest desires, surrender to your pleasure and gain true erotic empowerment. Liberate Valentine’s Day and leave yourself breathless.”
She said Anderson’s desire to empower women to achieve pleasure “marries perfectly with Coco de Mer’s belief that your ultimate erotic experience is yet to come.”
Litwack noted that after 15 years of selling exclusively through their own channels, they are now carried at Selfridges, Harrods and on Matchesfashion.com, with plans to sell internationally with this collection in the near future. In addition, she said the brand is currently in the process of designing a co-branded collection with Anderson for spring 2018.
