Saturday, June 27, 2009

J Brand Jeans

New Ad! Hooray! Thanks to tFS member s'ngac we have this preview of Freja jumping for J Brand jeans. I didn't even know that J Brand had ads. Maybe they just run them in other countries because I don't think I've seen them in magazines here in the US.



Freja looks wonderful and so vibrant here. The movement is dynamic and not awkward at all. You know how jumping pictures can sometimes distort the jumper's face? That doesn't happen here because Freja looks as gorgeous as ever. I have several pairs of J Brands so I can most definitely attest that they make a fabulous pair of jeans. They have various cuts and lengths but their 10" skinnies are my favorite. They fit like a dream and really do elongate and slim down your silhouette. I love seeing Freja as the campaign girl for a brand that I trust and know very well.

But enough of my gushing. This ad campaign adds to an already stellar campaign season for Freja. Things are quite different from even just one year ago. If you had told me back then that Freja would have an official website with blog, be the Chanel and Gucci girl again, and be in Gap and J Brand ads (both very commercial brands) I would have thought you were crazy. Amazing how things can turn around in such a short time.

Makes me wonder what role IMG and the recession has in all of this. When Forbes released their list of top earning models for this year, everyone could see that there was a significant drop in the amount of money brought in by all top earners compared to last year. (Giselle alone made $10 million less.) The recession is real and the financial crisis is being felt in all industries by all people. Fashion and it's models are no exception.

With this in mind, we know Freja is one of the top girls at IMG. She's had perfume contracts and many blue chip campaigns. She isn't on the level of Giselle, but a model like Freja is for sure a cash cow for IMG. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's the way it is. I wonder if they had anything to do with her growing out her hair again and starting a website? Perhaps they are nudging her away from the androgynous, rebel image she's had for a while now, and pushing her towards an image of commercial viability once again? Gap isn't high fashion, but it sure does bring in a lot of money and that's what IMG needs right now. And regardless of what we'd all like to think, IMG is a business first and foremost and they have a bottom line. I've touched on these thoughts before. But maybe I'm being paranoid and over-analyzing things. Any thoughts?

Image Credits: Picture taken by tFS member s'ngac!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i love J Brand too! them Ksubi are the only jeans i wear.

i think your analyst is spot on.in a craptastic economic situation, any company would want their top models to be cash cows rather than cult hits.nothing wrong with going commercial.