The Video Frontier

La Maison Pierre Frey's short film 'Escapade'

CJ Dellatore Pierre Frey Escapade Hotel Costes, Paris

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Last week I attended the American premiere of a short film by La Maison Pierre Frey, hosted by Pierre Frey and Newell Turner on the 44th floor of the Hearst Tower in New York City.

The small group of design professionals in attendance included Alex Papachristidis and Scott Nelson, Scott Salvator, Maureen Footer, Frank Webb, Ron Marvin, and Brad Ford among others. I’d seen the film the previous week online, but seeing it again with this crowd was great fun.

In the days that followed the screening a few bloggers posted about it with glowing reviews, and for the record I thought it was sensational – but for more than just the visuals.

The film is titled ‘Escapade’, and I’ve embedded it here for you to watch.

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It was shot by Martial Schmeltz in and around the storied Hotel Costes in Paris, which recently underwent a major renovation by Jacques Garcia who choose to outfit the suites exclusively with Pierre Frey fabrics.

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The concept of short films as brand messaging is nothing new, especially in the fashion industry (in fact it’s become de rigueur to present video as part of a marketing plan.)  Back in March of this year I caught a post on BusinessOfFashion.com which highlighted their picks for the 10 best flicks from fashion houses this year including Louis Vuitton, Alexander Wang, and Prada.  You can follow this link to see the full list and watch the films.

But this film is decidedly different.  With Escapade the Frey family has avoided the senseless obscurity that fashion house often embrace – feigning sensationalism in exchange for a thoroughly intelligent film that’s at once sexy and charming, and which showcases their fabrics in an environment that is synonymous with their brand.

I think most in our industry would agree that in an ever expanding sea of product, garnering attention (and gaining market share) is challenging.  Add to that the rapid shift toward digital advertising and many design firms are left stymied and confused.

La Maison Pierre Frey solves these problems first by consistently creating standout fabrics, and now with this film they take the lead in innovative marketing within the luxury home furnishings industry.

Très bien fait.

[If you’d like to see the full press release for the film, and see the fabrics featured follow this link.]

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Written by CJ Dellatore