London: Rankin Collaborates With Coco De Mer

Legendary photographer Rankin has collaborated with British lingerie brand Coco De Mer on a new campaign film. The piece, named simply “X,” sees a storyline created by Walter Campbell, the writer of “Under the Skin” starring Scarlet Johansson, to underpin the melange of images, which range from the highly erotic to the downright mundane.

“The film is pushing the boundaries of what films can do. It’s not about selling, it’s about you being part of an experience,” said Rankin. “You can consume imagery very quickly now.” The project was screened for the first time at indie theatre La Pagode in Paris and is set for a London release today, after which the campaign will be circulated online and may even make it into some cinemas. “The core of the campaign is Coco de Mer’s real commitment to creating a more vital, more beautiful erotic landscape through which our audience can explore,” said Lucy Litwack, managing director of Coco de Mer to WWD. “The reference would be Helmut Newton…that strong woman in control. There is such a large amount of sexual imagery. I want to make sure it was done in a way I was comfortable with,” she added of the highly erotic content of the video.

Getting the ball rolling on the project meant that Rankin was keen to have a full creative team behind him, and he wasted no time in seeking out some of the best photographers and directors to help, such as Vicky Lawton, David Allain, Damien Fry and Joe Hunt, Trisha Ward and Bronwen Parker-Rhodes. Speaking of the rigorous process of creating the film, Ranking said that: “I commissioned them all like for a magazine, and said, ‘You have one or two days to shoot.’” Campbell, meanwhile, was responsible for nailing down the concept.

You can watch the teaser for the film ahead of its release by clicking here.