Countercouture / ‘Worn Once’ has become a selling point in the secondhand market, indicating an item’s pristine state, but this campaign flips the phrase on its head – turning it into a stark reminder of fashion’s waste problem.
The campaign uses storytelling to engage people around overconsumption, an important but somewhat dry topic. Rather than just preaching sustainability and blinding people with boring statistics, it delivers a visual statement that’s highly PR-able. The concept is striking in its simplicity, making the issue instantly understandable while communicating the brand’s tone of voice and promoting a product truth (Northern Playground clothes are more sustainable and qualitative, as they’re made to be reworn many, many times).
‘Northern Playground has a rebellious and activist personality, so we felt it was perfectly in line with the brand’s values to challenge the idea that everything influencers do is all fun and games,’ Mathias Sandvik and Hallvard Vaaland, respectively art director and copywriter at Try, told Contagious in a joint statement.
‘That said, we made sure the campaign maintained a lighthearted, humorous tone instead of coming across as online shaming. To ensure this tone was maintained, we made an effort not to make the campaign film too heavy or serious. A strategic choice was to collaborate with comedian St Sunniva, who is well known in Norway for her rebellious style. She also has a good relationship with several of the influencers featured in the campaign, which reduced the likelihood of anyone being offended.’
