To celebrate the launch of Stolen Girlfriends Club's latest bag collection, they commissioned photographer Derek Henderson to shoot a series of stunning portraits. Combining the sculptural aesthetic of the new collection with a burly cast of characters to explore both the contrasts and the parallels.
The new collection is like a line of classic bourgeois handbags from the 60’s with a rock & roll reinvention. Crocodile-effect textures and sculptural shapes with a modernised high-sheen
leather. All bags carry our new heavy metal styled ‘Berate’ logo, front and centre. Stolen Girlfriends Club wanted to challenge the campaign stereotype by doing something different. Too often, brand campaigns are pushing an image of unobtainable beauty and perfection. "We’re tired of the perfection. Give us something real, give us something gritty. We love to find beauty in the unexpected and we want to challenge the status-quo. What about flipping the campaign stereotype?"
"The idea first came when I saw one of my friends holding his girlfriend’s handbag at a party for her, while she danced. He seemed awkward and didn’t know what to do with the bag, it gave
me this idea for the campaign. Instead of shooting the collection on typical models I wanted to flip it and explore those moments of awkwardness. I knew Derek would capture it perfectly,"
explained Marc Moore, Stolen Girlfriends Club's Creative Director.
"As an outlier myself I can relate to SGC’s identity and the campaign concept. I believe we can all live together in the same community but have different points of view and still get along. If
everyone thought the same way and was into the same things, what a boring place it would be. Being an individual doesn’t mean you don’t or can't understand other people’s opinions, beliefs
or how they choose to live their lives. Respecting other people’s differences and cultures can enhance your life experience and make the world a better place," added Henderson.
He shot the entire campaign on a Mamiya RZ67 Camera that took 120 roll film. Preferring to shoot film over digital to enrich the imagery, giving it an almost painterly effect.
"Stolen Girlfriends Club was never invited to the fashion industry, but we crashed the party anyway," said Moore. "Whilst we feel like we don’t belong sometimes, we believe there’s a place for all brands. We want to challenge people's idea of what fashion is, with an unexpected and unorthodox approach. We are all about defiance - challenging the status-quo, defying the norm. Anti-boring. We find beauty in the unexpected, and we champion the outliers."
