The latest campaign of the collaboration between Adidas and Gucci offers a bright and cheerful approach to the collection, captured by Gucci’s trusted art director Max Siedentopf

 

Since his first work for Gucci four years ago, Max has continuously worked on various projects for the prestigious brand.

 

 

His multidisciplinary take on advertising, formed by his background of art, creative direction and publishing makes him the perfect person to go to for a unique outcome. Uniting a variety of creative techniques, Max manages to visually translate the latest trends of consumer culture.

 

 

For the second collaboration between Adidas and Gucci, Max went for a mix of still and moving images with a touch of unexpected twists. He takes a fresh and playful — maybe even slightly cynical — perspective on two big players in the fashion industry. Both brands play with the recognition value of their iconic logos and prove that logomania, the fashion trend which emerged in the mid-2010s, is far from over.
However, the merging of logos and visual identity overall can be interpreted as a mirror to notions visible in today’s society: the need for us to come together, overcome differences and unite instead of competing with one another.

 

 

If one thing can be said about Max’s signature style it is this: there is none. Not in a bad way, quite the contrary: he limitlessly makes use of his creative tools — be it analogue collage and stop-motion videos for Gucci VAULT continuum, the brands response to the demand for a more circular, sustainable economy, or renderings for their high watchmaking line which deservedly got him the title “The king of the render” by one of his followers.

 

 

Particularly the VAULT continuum campaign shows how a project’s theoretical content can impact the choice of medium. He explains his decision to use the analogue method of stop-motion in a time of endless digital options as follows: “In a time where AI lets you create anything you can imagine with a lazy click of button its so much more rewarding to painstakingly do everything by hand with all its beautiful imperfections and detail and lots of human sweat, blood and tears (of joy).”
Always pursuing his vision, Max never limits himself to make it come to life.

 

 

Aside from his work for Gucci, he lately realized projects with apple, shot for Vogue and was part of PhMuseums jury of the photography grant.
With all these projects going on, Max always manages to carve out time for his personal projects like the work “don’t worry be happy” — an installation exhibited in Berlin where he satirically reflects his view on the turbulent, crazy, times we call our reality.

 

 

To dive deeper into Max’s artistic approach, read his interview in Issue 2 of Forward magazine — get your copy here.

Max Siedentopf will join us in Vienna as one of the key speakers at Forward Festival in October this year.

All credits images © Max Siedentopf