Blauer USA
Nightingale executes creative direction for international brand Blauer USA
- art direction
- creative direction
- production
When America meets Holland
In the 17th century, the Dutch set foot in the United States. What they called New-Amsterdam back then, the English renamed New York. Nightingale got inspired by the early Dutch-American connection and decided to shoot the fall-winter-collection of 2021 for Blauer USA in Rotterdam, with quirky hints to New York.
“It was our work for “C.P. company and Ten c with which we gained FGF Group’s trust to also work with us for the Blauer USA campaign”, says Stijn Nachtergaele, Chief Visionary of Nightingale.
Metropolitan landscape
Nightingale’s team translated Blauer USA’s moodboards to real locations. “We sent our producer to Rotterdam to spot locations and indicate them on a map”, project & graphic design officer Bram Bentein explains.
The team was focusing on metropolitan locations with an international feel and most importantly, a soul. The Rotterdam combination of old and new was captured in the images, referring to the history of Blauer as a uniform producer. Bridges, water and warehouses also got a prominent role in the shoot, as a metaphor for the connection between the Netherlands and the US.
American aesthetics, international roots
The photos were taken by Stig De Block. “Stig shot a Wrangler campaign in the US and he’s completing a documentary about low-riders in L.A. at the moment. He really carries this American aesthetics within him. He works fast and dynamically and has a very personal imagery, combining close ups with overview shots. He was just the perfect person for this project”, says Nachtergaele.
“Because we prepared this shoot in Rotterdam really well, we were able to shoot the women’s, men’s and children’s collection in just three days, with the buildings and atmosphere we defined with the client. Apart from that, we asked videographer Jonathan Timmerman to make behind the scenes videos of the women’s and men’s collection”, explains Bentein.
Virtual communication
“Usually, clients pass by during a shoot, but our communication was done entirely online this time”, he resumes. “FGF company trusted us, which made working with them very pleasant. We shot everything on location. Our mobile cart with reflection panels and a laptop to check the images right away was very convenient. We also had two vehicles to drive the different collections around.”
“You can really feel the moodboard in the images”, explains Nachtergaele. “It’s great that the client really trusted us with the art direction. In the coming seasons we’ll partner up again to create and develop the imagery and photography. Blauer USA is a partner for the long run. At the moment we are full on preparing the upcoming shoot in Portugal for the spring-summer 2021 collection.”
