Last year, possibly in an effort to jolt weary attendees awake, Opening Ceremony used real ballerinas plucked from the New York City Ballet to stage quite a show. Though, the dancers weren’t twirling and prancing down the runway. They were falling. And it looked hard. It was like “watching a row of baby ducklings go over a waterfall,” said Connie Wang, our Senior features writer about the production.
This year, MM.LaFleur’s summer campaign features dancers in place of models as well, however things are a bit less “baby ducklings falling” and more pirouettes and whipped turns. “Collaborating with ballerinas was a long-held dream of ours, and given the name of the collection, this seemed like the perfect opportunity,” said Tory Hoen, Creative Director of Brand at MM.LaFleur, to Elle magazine. “Ballet and workwear might not be the most intuitive pairing, but at MM.LaFleur, we are always out to defy stereotypes about what it means to be a working woman.”
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The campaign features a video of dancers Georgina Pazcoguin, Unity Phelan, and Alexa Maxwell seated quietly at work. Then suddenly the women begin dancing in the brand’s latest collection, “The Light Fantastic,” which is inspired by the sportswear of the ‘60s.
"In this video, we wanted to explore who this woman is on the surface — a polished professional typing away at her desk — and then who she is in her inner life."
The brand is known for churning out office appropriate workwear that can easily go from day to night.
“For our jobs, we wear many costumes that are actually quite hard to dance in—unlike this dress, which feels like a second skin. It moves with you, it's breathable, and it doesn't fight you in any way," said Phelan to Elle.
Check out the video below!