PRE FALL 21 CAMPAIGN SHOOT – CUBA

Get a keen insight of how the beautiful, colorful Pre Fall 21 campaign shooting came about in the distinctive time that we found, and find, ourselves in. For more than a year, we have all experienced a limitation of the freedom of movement we have taken for granted before. So far, it has been a matter of course for many people that they could travel the world, but it is now seen in a different light. This made Naja Munthe reflect on – and appreciate – her previous journeys:

As a young designer, I traveled to Cuba and was completely captivated and spellbound by the incredibly beautiful color combinations they master, and the seemingly effortless approach to life; Slowness, dance, an explosion of shape and patterns, heavy vines over house walls and old American cars with greasy leather seats reigned. Nothing fits together and everything fits together”.

 – Naja Munthe

The Pre Fall 2021 collection is inspired by Cuba in all its splendor. Cuba oozes a cheerful atmosphere and a playful, free, and laid-back approach to life. People hang and chat from the windows, dance in the street, play music and bathe in the sea, and you are greeted by a peculiar scent of cigar smoke, citrus fruits, car exhaust and rum. The heavy, warm Cuban spirit, the palm trees, the sun-ripened fruits, and the color richness are exactly what should be captured in the design process. The large signature print and the palette of pink, yellow, blue, rose, and burgundy colors reflect this.

The campaign shoot took place just as the COVID-19 situation escalated and plans and travel options were therefore turned upside down. The shoot, which of course should have taken place in Cuba, was moved to Cyprus, where a very small crew of people executed the whole campaign in one single day. It was an intense experience where limitations had to be turned into opportunities. The fact that Naja, for example, was also the hair stylist during the entire shoot is just a picture of how we have adapted to the circumstances by working with a very small number of people.

The result is a series of warm and authentic campaign images, and although Cuba became Cyprus, the collection speaks for itself. It is a colorful collection that, with its playful silhouettes and prints, brings the warm, heavy and happy, Cuban atmosphere to mind.