Fashion films are the moment, and the medium is quickly redefining fashion storytelling. It’s moving beyond the typical product campaigns, lookbooks, runway documentation, and Anna Wintour interviews to reveal the story behind the fashion house itself. Rather than a direct advertisement, fashion films are building out characters, plots, and rich settings to really engulf the viewer in a designer’s full fantasy.
Still from the film featuring Brunello Cucinelli among the cashmere goats in Mongolia.
And the fashion industry is seeing the value in this format. In its development, fashion film cherry-picks the best of Hollywood’s filmmakers and actors to bring the narratives to life. House of Gucci in 2021 had stars like Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, and Al Pacino; Sofia Coppola shot Marc by Sofia; and Couture, which, while fictional, had Angelina Jolie at the crux of the fashion storyline.
Meanwhile, the latest development in the fashion film genre is a new feature-length film, Brunello: The Gracious Visionary, which offers a rare look inside the life and philosophy of one of luxury fashion’s most influential and unconventional figures — Italian fashion designer Brunello Cucinelli. The film is directed by the similarly influential Oscar-winning filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore. It combines archival footage, personal memories, and intimate storytelling to explore the values that have shaped one of fashion’s most respected figures.
TOP RIGHT: Saul Nanni as the adult Cucinelli.
BOTTOM LEFT: Brunello Cucinelli.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Giuseppe Tornatore.
Photos by Stefano Schirato.
While fashion has long leaned into film as a source of inspiration and creativity, Chanel’s longstanding dedication to the art, as seen in its spotlight on women in film at international film festivals — both in Cannes and here at home during TIFF — has proven to be an enriching part of the brand’s identity and further strengthens its alignment with the arts.
With the help of Hollywood’s best, fashion films showcase brands in a new, unexpected, and humanizing way. While the world of fashion has much to unpack, film provides a vehicle to display its glitz and glamour while delivering an emotional experience that can build a lasting connection with the viewer. Today, these collaborations are less about selling a handbag and more about humanizing and deconstructing a brand.
They unveil a necessary story, revealing the inner workings of a brand and offering a glimpse into the gate-kept world of fashion that many still don’t have full visibility or access to. If done well, they go beyond brand identity and dig deep into an unreachable, mysterious world through characters that viewers can see themselves in.
With attention spans shortening, films can lure tastemakers into the world of the brand through education. With audiences craving deeper, more intellectual content, fashion films can satisfy that appetite. Viewers can leave the cinema feeling like they learned something new about their favourite brands or the enigmatic world of fashion.
TOP RIGHT: Francesco Cannevale as Cucinelli aged 7.
BOTTOM LEFT: STILL FROM THE FILM FEATURING BRUNELLO CUCINELLI.
PHOTOS BY STEFANO SCHIRATO.
The medium reminds us that behind every garment or collection lies a rich story (often built on decades of history) worth telling. It extends beyond a fleeting viral runway moment and digs deeper, as audiences crave access to high fashion, often limited by wealth. Films can document a brand’s legacy and detail what actually goes into creating some of fashion’s most recognized names — and not without the drama.
Brunello: The Gracious Visionary is available now in select theatres across Canada.
FEATURE IMAGE: SAUL NANNI AS THE ADULT CUCINELLI. PHOTO BY STEFANO SCHIRATO.
