Hudson’s Bay, Canada’s largest department store chain, has a broad appeal. Yet each season it casts a luxurious halo over the business with a campaign for The Room, that exclusive designer department located inside the Toronto and Vancouver flagships. Stephanie Seymour, a supermodel of the Nineties, is the face for fall. Seymour is featured in looks from Azzedine Alaïa, Anthony Vaccarello, Balmain, Giambattista Valli, Moschino, Proenza Schouler and Pucci.
The Room also tapped New-York based painter and sculptor Christopher Beckman to create six canvases for the campaign. “We loved the contrast of pairing images of the legendary Stephanie Seymour — herself a very significant collector of contemporary art — against the canvases of an emerging artist,” said Michael Crotty, Hudson’s Bay’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “We’ve always been intrigued how fashion and art influence each other.”
Seymour was shot in New York by photographer Mariano Vivanco and styled by Julia Von Boehm. Hair was created by Pasquale Ferrante and makeup was done by Glenn Marziali. The campaign will launch in the Canadian September issues of Vogue and Elle. Hudson’s Bay also distributes a catalogue for The Room, which debuted in 1937 as The St. Regis Room at Simpson’s in Toronto and was re-branded as The Room in 1963. Hudson’s Bay acquired Simpson’s in 1978, thereby inheriting The Room.
While the campaign diverges from past efforts, it’s similar in the sense of using a model with some history. Last season, veteran Linda Evangelista was the face of The Room. The mature approach, said Crotty, “resonates very well with our customers. It’s something that many brands have caught onto.” L’Oréal, for example, has featured a host of actresses and models, including Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria and Julianne Moore.