In a time when runways are hardly the picture of diversity, it's refreshing to see a well-known brand like Hermes herald a model of color — especially a gorgeous South Asian like Lakshmi Menon. The campaign is definitely a taste of something different: zillions of flower petals, brightly painted elephants holding luxurious handbags, and a very large foot trying to fit into a comparatively smaller shoe. I'm digging the label's efforts to try something new — are you?


















Balmain
Yves Saint Laurent
Alviero Martini
While I love the diversity, I think that these arent real great. Pretty boring in my opinion.
1I love it! It is cool and refreshing.
2I LOVE it! Especially the painted nails of the elephants.
She's gorgeous too
3Love the elephants pedicure!!
4I actually really like these. I was getting a little tired of the white background with little orange elements.
5now, this is something. i love this.
6Very creative!
7High impact pictures!
The photography is perfect, the contrasts, the colors!
The South Asian model is very beautiful and her beautiful skin tone and hair enhance the colors!
The "lady" elephants look good too, nice make-up and nails! (Bella, orange or pink nail polish trend?)
I'm obsessed with this campaign. So glad they chose an Indian model for this Indian-inspired collection.
Lakshmi Menon = The hotness.
8I love these ads. The color, the look, the concept. I'm tired of the uninspired, seemingly random ads that we have seen lately. This campaign is refreshing, beautifully shot and unpretentious.
9I love it!
10Love the colors, and the pedis on the elephants!
11I saw this the other day in the new W and loved it! I love the elephants painted nails.
12Love it! and maybe this is me just overanalyzing, but I think it's such a cool concept because it's kind of a play on the British colonization of India. I mean, the clothes are pretty English equestrian-ish (jodhpurs, riding boots, tailored jackets), and the fact that they put those into an Indian setting with a South Asian model is really cool. Ok, now if only I can focus like this on my work lol!
13this looks fantastic!
14Looks great! I love it! Although, the animal activist in me so "no no" to using animals for entertainment value but with a high dollar brand like Hermes, hopefully these cuties were munching on some high grade grass!!!
15rustic and bright. lovely.
16Wow! I love this!
17OMG! I am obsessed with these ads! I abolutely LOVE them! I think they could make really cool wall art too! I want to find them and get them framed! LOVE!
18If, we're strictly talking about the ethnicity of the model then two thumbs up. She is beautiful looking. If, we're talking about the artistic style of the ad itself then it's on the boring side. It looks like confetti was photo shopped into the picture. I would expect Hermes to have a more clear focal point to the photo.
19Amusing...
20Different!
21
fantastic ad
22I love the ad, but putting an Indian with elephants? Hardly diverse, actually very stereotypical that they would have an Indian model here. But still progress considering not very many well known brands make ads like these.
23My favorite spring ad! It's just perfect!!!
24Thanks for your post and link Fabsugar
25It was a pleasure to imagine this campaign !
Kiss from Paris
I loved this ad! The model was beautful, the painting on the elephants and the elephants themselves were also beautiful. I loved the colors also.
26This is a great ad, I love it. The model is beautiful. About time.
27Animal abuse/exploitation is so totally fab.
28Why is it that women of color are always shot either wearing animal prints or standing next to animals? It's absurd and insulting!
29These are beautiful!
30I love these.
31Strictly eye candy. Hermes' colors, Indian model posing with elephants. Yeah, real diverse.
32BLAH! Boring.
33...I think elephants should be left alone to be elephanty, not having their nails painted so upperclass people across the world can go 'How quaint!'. 'Oh, and the locals are even wearing our fashions! What progress! Quite! Let us retire to the billiards room for port!'.
34I like it. It's something different.
35It's very Hermes, but their not that exciting to me
36elephants are so cute : )
37I hear you infernal.
38Have any of you read "American Psycho?" I swear you teamsugar girls sometimes seem like you stepped right out of that book...
YAY!
39yay for diversity but nay for the ad
40Come on Fab Sugar! Can you look a little deeper here?
I'd like to see a model of color who is not exoticised! It's just like shooting black models in a jungle with tigers, or worse, when they paint the models in tiger stripes. The underlying dialogue here is that "non-Western" women are "animalistic" and "primitive."
So while it's nice that they're using a South Asian model, and she's gorgeous and the pictures are pretty, it just solidifies the objectification of women of color. And it's not like this is anything new. This has been happening since colonialism - check out bell hooks' "Black Looks" or similar books if you want to learn more.
And like others said, I can't say I'm a huge fan of makeup on elephants. It looks cool for sure, but it seems cruel and can't be good for their skin. If I'm not mistaken, they don't only have eye makeup and "nail polish" on, but they look as though they were spray painted with a darker coal color. I can't tell for sure.
41Fab ad! Love the colors1!
42I like that they used an Indian model but again, why are models of colour always featured with animal prints or animals? and I'm opposed to animals being used for our entertainment- it might look cute to us but I doubt the elephants are loving their colored nails n trained poses.
43Huummm interesting points..... however we do LOVE diversity!
44NOPE...what they are selling is too over powered by the elephans...obviously a beauiful horse would have worked much better..the model looks fabulous.
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