Fashion Perspective with Kelly Ann Stafford

I came across this campaign about a year ago and not a week goes by that I don’t think about these images. For anyone needing a little “perspective” in their life, please take a minute and get some – K. Stafford

‘Glamorous’ in a disaster area’

Cordaid People in Need’s Judith Maat explains the story behind this thought provoking campaign….

“When we started the campaign in 2007, working with advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, we wanted to draw consumers’ attention to the fact that the money we spend so easily in our daily lives can make a huge difference to people living in disaster areas. Such a campaign would be an excellent way to draw attention to the basic needs of these people, we reasoned.

When the time came to do the photo shoot, with the help of the local partner organizations we first got to know the community. We explained the idea behind the campaign and its goals to them and, much to their credit, they were very positive and cooperative. They had never seen a fashion magazine before so they had no idea how to pose for the shots we had in mind, so I helped them by showing them what we wanted.

The strength of the campaign lies in the fact that it almost ridicules wealth inequality, a serious issue that’s still with us today. Artistic, beautiful, provocative, bold and in-your-face, the images produced during that three-day photo shoot are as powerful now as they were then. To give them the necessary “glamorous” feel, Swedish high-end fashion and advertising photographer Calle Stoltz was asked to take the photos. He did so voluntarily.”