It isn’t particularly easy to drum up excitement for bricks and mortar fashion shopping these days. You have to break through a lot of clutter. You have to do something strikingly different.

The Royals has. Its campaign for The Strand Arcade AW18 uses thermal imaging. The entire campaign was shot in the dark using a thermal image camera to highlight the importance of ‘feel’ not just looks when shopping for fashion.

Spearheading the campaign is a 60-second film, produced by Collider, that focuses on the thrill of discovering pieces purely through touch. The experimental film, Feel the Night, shows textile and fibre artist, Tammy Kanat, shopping in the Strand Arcade building after dark.

Tammy selects pieces by Strand designers, including Dion Lee, Camilla & Marc, Aje and Manning Cartell, led only by the sense of touch and garment textures. These are then curated into six wearable outfits by fashion stylist, Emma Kalfus.

The TK1 camera unit used for the shoot is the only commercially available unit in Australia. The technology is more commonly used in military, law enforcement, firefighting, medical and engineering applications.

The Royals creative partner, Nick Cummins, commented, “Our aim in using thermal imaging was to highlight the insight that in winter, as we start to layer up against the cold, the feel of fabric, its weight and texture becomes more important. By taking away the sense of sight, we were able to focus on the feel and touch of garments, demonstrating the premium quality of the Strand’s Australian designers.”

Ipoh group manager, Victor Gasper, added, “This season we have focused on the sensory experience of ‘touch’ to help reiterate that the choices we make about the way we dress are influenced by the way we feel as much as the way we see things. Bringing to life designer details allows us to showcase the incredible craftsmanship and creativity on offer inside the Strand Arcade.”

The new campaign follows last year’s interactive music video of artist, Sloan Peterson’s, single called 105. It includes print, POS and social.

Credits

Agency: The Royals

Managing Partner: Dan Beaumont

Creative Partner: Nick Cummins

Senior Art Director: Pete Sherrah

Senior Copywriter: Allie Steel

Graphic Designer: Anthea Wright

Integrated Producer: Rene Shalala

Senior Account Director: Priyanka Patel

Account Manager: Michelle Kroger

Social Media Manager: Katie Morris

Production Company: Collider

Music Composition: Jonny Higgins

Thermal Imaging Technology: Grant Law

Client: Ipoh (Strand Arcade)

Marketing Manager: Daniella Manuel