Vuitton, which tapped Jennifer Lopez for its ads in 2003, has flipped between celebrities like Uma Thurman and Scarlett Johansson and modeling greats including Campbell, Bündchen and Herzigova, who this season strikes heroic poses in front of the Unisphere, the steel globe in Flushing Meadows Park in New York, site of the 1964 World's Fair. Antoine Arnault, Vuitton's director of communications, said a "familiar face" — whether model or actress — is vital to stop readers from flicking past an ad. But equally important for a fashion brand is change every season, which depends on the instincts of Vuitton artistic director Marc Jacobs, who mined the Eighties for his latest catwalk collection. "I personally think working with celebrities is a real plus," said Arnault, citing a deluge of media coverage as one advantage. However, Vuitton clearly believes in iconic models, too, draping six of them on muscle cars last season to promote its collaboration on leather goods with artist Richard Prince.
"In the last campaign, we though Eva's two pictures were really stunning," Arnault said. "She's a stunningly beautiful 35-year-old woman."
With experienced models, he added, "there's more depth. These ones have soul."