Synthetic fibres have dramatically overtaken natural. Woolmark and agency, 20(Something), are fighting back with their apocalyptic campaign that reminds the world, “Every synthetic garment ever made still exists in some form”.
Synthetic garments exist in landfills – “haunting the world”, the campaign notes. The campaign, Wear Wool, Not Waste, visualises their unnaturally long lifespan as a zombie horror story.
The commercial was directed by Sil van der Woerd and Jorik Dozy, aka Studio Birthplace, who also worked with Woolmark on the 202 campaign, Wear Wool Not Fossil Fuel, as well as the striking video, Money Tree, for Greenpeace.
The new film’s human wearer-less zombie crowd was created using VFX led by Tim Smit.
The campaign, both a PSA for consumers about fashion pollution and an advertisement for Woolmark, also ties in with Woolmark’s ongoing efforts to encourage retailers and brands to use clearer labelling and signposting when it comes to fabric composition.
“It’s been almost 90 years since the first synthetic fiber was created, and the chilling realization that every single synthetic item ever produced still exists and haunts our planet is unsettling. Whether in landfills or manifesting as microplastics, they are omnipresent,” explained 20something co-founder, Will Thacker.
“To drive this home, we wanted to draw parallels to the horror genre, specifically a zombie-ravaged world. We wanted to tap into the phenomenon of the Netflix adaptation of The Last of Us. The parallels between how synthetics are being dispersed across our globe are akin to the harrowing spread of the deadly zombie-inducing fungus.”
Credits:
Creative Agency: 20something
Film Creative & Post Production: Studio Birthplace
Executive Creative Director: William Thacker
Business Director: Anisha Obeng
Creative: Cathryn Carey
Account Manager: Amy Greasby
Strategy Partner: Fran Docx
Senior Strategist: Asa Nowers
Production Company: Park Village
Directors: Sil van der Woerd & Jorik Dozy
Executive Producer: Adam Booth
Head of Production: Angelica Riccardi
Film & Stills Producer: Alice Windeler
Service Producer: Renier Ridgeway
Director of Photography: Lennert Hillege
Visual Effects Lead: Tim Smit
Photographer: Daniele Colucciello
Online Editing: CutCo.
Sound & Music: Ambit Sound
Colourist: Alex Gregory @ No.8
Media Agency: Craft, PMG
