With France’s presidential elections coming soon and the American political debacle, Parisians are talking non stop politics. And then along comes a very unusual Diesel advertising campaign saying “Make Love Not Walls.” The video ad (with posters in the Paris metro) is a collaboration by photographer David LaChapelle and Diesel art director Nicola Formichetti.
The video with flower tossing, dancing (Ukrainian ballet dancer Sergei Poluni) and rainbow-colored love tank has a “Yellow Submarine” joyful resistance feel to it reminiscent of Pepperland under siege by the Blue Meanies.
Diesel, known for its provocative ads, is an Italian retail clothing company, located in Breganze, Italy. It sells denim, and other clothing and accessories. Formichetti has previously collaborated with singer-songwriter Lady Gaga and with the French fashion house Mugler as artistic director. The point of ads is to sell something so its easy to be cynical. But with so much negativity in the air these days it’s great when somebody comes along with a positive message.
So what about this ad? Nicola Formichetti explained “At Diesel, we have a strong position against hate and more than ever we want the world to know that, to use our voice for good, love and togetherness is crucial in creating a society we all want to live in, and future we all deserve.”