miu miu visual essay

Before the rise of the internet, brands would use just print, television and word of mouth to get their brand across to consumers, in
2016, this is far more complicated. With the rise of the internet and social media, the visual landscape directed at customers has to
now cover social media and websites too as well as bloggers. If brands do not do this, they are considered not to be ‘in the loop’ and
could cause other brands that do use this means of marketing to be favoured over those that have not caught on. Even at London
fashion week, brands live stream their shows making brands more accessible to the rest of the world. Why do brands need feel the
need to keep up? Surely the Men and Women wearing designer brands do not have a need to for this, their brands are normally worn
by the older generation x, they are not as sufficient on social media as their younger counterparts. Perhaps this is a way of connecting
with generations that will one day be able to buy their products. But is this necessary? This essay will look through Miu Miu’s position in
the media and how they are seen by consumers through the eyes of a lens, it will attempt to understand why Miu Miu is the brand it is
today and where they are heading.
Miu Miu’s S/S15 Campaign,
shot by Steven Meisel
Miu Miu was seen to be overshadowed by Prada for many of its early years. In recent times, they have become their own self-
respecting brand. Unlike Prada the brand doesn’t rely heavily on brand heritage; founded in 1993, Miu Miu is a fairly young brand who
built themselves of the back of Prada’s popularity.
‘Miu Miu is not as complicated and as thought out as Prada’ (Miuccia Prada, System Magazine 2014) ‘Rather than being young, Miu Miu
is immediate. Prada is very sophisticated and considered; Miu Miu is much more naïve.’
This is also reflected in the way the brand displays itself in the media. With their girly but edgy style, Miu Miu is often worn by
celebrities including Chloe Mortez, Emma Stone and Emma Watson. These Celebrities have a fairly similar style; they are all seen as
quite sweet yet influential when they are portrayed by different media outlets. They reflect the brand well because Miu Miu often has
cute frilly dresses and bold floral dresses as part of their collections. Some may argue they are too innocent for the brand, which
Miu Miu is actually meant for someone slightly edgier.

In previous years Miu Miu has often used baby faced
models such as Stacy Martin, Maddison Brown and
actress Hailee Steinfeld, who was in fact 14 at the time
of Miu Miu shoot. It is often questioned why brands use
such young models when often girls of that age range
would never be able to afford the garments
themselves, perhaps they aim to make the women
buying in to the brand feel younger, therefore they use
younger models because of this. Taking this in to
consideration however, usage of younger models in
brands can sometimes go terribly wrong. For example,
Calvin Klein got in to trouble for overly sexualising a 15
year old Brooke Shields. So why has this been working
for Miu Miu? The answer perhaps is because of the way
they stylise the model, they have always been very
innocently dressed.
Unfortunately for Miu Miu, this all back fired in their spring
summer 2015 shoot with Mia Goth, after someone
complained to the Advertising Standards Agency (tsjeng,
2015). Miu Miu often uses girly innocence in shoots, which
sometimes appears to be sexualised. Steven Meisel has
aided Miu Miu in to becoming like many other brands before
them. Mia Goth is seen laying ‘seductively’ on a green thrown
like chair, her body language appears very open and could
be seen to say that she is easy or that she ‘wants it’. The
bed in the back ground is not helping with the images
perception either, a plain bed and plain walls could give off
connotations of rape or even child abuse because she has
such a young face. This could become an issue because
normally in images like this, the model is at least
wearing underwear or something that appears
seductive, but these clothes are something that a woman could walk down
the street in, which could potentially lead to men (or women) getting the
wrong idea and which could lead to a real life situation. In the other
image, she is laying directly on the bed which really indicates that she is
on the bed for more reasons than just selling clothes.
All though these images were eventually banned, looking back at some of
Miu Miu’s previous campaigns, it is clearly visible that this is something
they have been doing for a while.
Back in 1997, when Miu Miu was only a few years old, this black and white
photoshoot, set in a leafy park has a unsettling tone. Audrey Marnay, who
was 16 years old at the time of this shoot, sits open legged with just rosy
cheeks for makeup. Her body is positioned lifelessly on the chair, it is
almost as if she does not want to be photographed and it gives the
impression that she has been forced to sit there.
‘I wasn't thinking of Lolita, they look like
that because they are so young’
Muiccia Prada, Back Stage at her show, 1997
A 14 year old Hailee Steinfeld Modelling for Miu Miu A/W
11, Photographed by Bruce Webber

Miu Miu A/W 1997, Modeled by Audrey Marnay, Photographed by
Glen Luchford
Spring summer
2013 Campaign
Photographed by
Inez Van
lamsweedere and
Vinoodh Matadin,
Tamara
Weijenburg
Models
The Image on the left is from the same shoot as the black and
white image on the previous page. Further justifying the forced
associations that could be applied to this image. Surrounded by
plain red walls which appear to be roughed up, Lamsweedere
lays on the sheeted bed clutching on to a fur coat. Wearing a
sheer dress that looks more like lingerie, she is actually wearing
a coat which looks a lot like a night robe which were popular in
the 1960’s. Could she perhaps be modelled as a 1960’s
prostitute? Stylisation of the whole image suggests so. This is
different from previous images mentioned because the model
mentioned is in her 30’s. Confusingly, the media, who are usually
the first to pick up on anything negative, have never really laid in
to Miu Miu. An article titled ‘Everybody Loves Miu Miu’ In the
Sunday Times in 2013 talks about fashion insiders do not have a
uniform, but and bloggers seldom to talk about some of the
brands less than tasteful images. When researching for
negativity about the brand, there seems to only be articles
praising how different and noteworthy Miu Miu is, Including titles
such as ‘Miu Miu comes in to its own’. (Kaiser A. 2006)

So, apart from using baby faced models in potentially offensive positions, how else has Miu Miu impacted the Marketing
world? Partial nudity, like seen in the black and white images from the 1990s, almost shows a timeline of the brands
experimentation, they have used many different faces, styles and colours in the left image, model wears just a leather
jacket with a fur collar and plain black underwear, she lays her face over to one side, the model is braless, showing a small
amount of breast. The same goes for the right image, she is only wearing a jumper with bare legs. The difference between
the two however is that there is context within the woman on the right, she sits on a chair with a blurred out back, however
looking closely, it appears as if there are metal shutters behind her; her surroundings look glum and her facial expression
portrays a vision of sadness. There is a feeling that the brand has slowly been finding itself and its stance in the media that
all these images are just Miu Miu’s way of showing that they do not have just one idea or one look, the brand is like a large
experimentation. Other brands could take note of this, fashion is meant to be like art and Miu Miu appear to be
accomplishing this. Often accompanying their shoots, they produce films in conjunction with their campaigns. In fact, the
film ‘somebody’ previewed in 2014 at the Venice Film Festival. Miu Miu is slowly becoming a brand who people envision first
when mentioned alongside music and film, they have even developed a new app, in which music, fashion and art are side by
side, users are able to mix music with art, something that is quite experimental for a large brand like Miu Miu to do. Their
campaign from spring summer 2015 titled ‘Subjective Reality’ was their film and photograph series, again, by Steven
Meissel.

The two images seen here by Inez and Vinoodh are part of the same collection of images seen in the photo on page three with the painted red
walls. The background is similar to that image, with muted greys in the background and closed curtains, the outside is not visible, which could
mean the pictures have something to hide. Sitting around the table, the models wear contrasting clothes, from left to right one wears lace, the
other is wearing a crop top and trousers, posed with a bag and on the far right, sitting directly on the marbled table, the model can be seen in
different fur pieces. They are also all looking in different directions and their body language is all different, it is as if all the women in the room
have different and contrasting personalities. The image on the right is just a table which appears to be staged; there is a feeling of this being
dreamlike, as if Inez and Vinoodh didn’t want it to feel natural. The bag has been placed purposefully on the table along with other usable objects
as if to say that the bag is needed there as much as anything else on that table.
These pictures below are part of Inez and Vinoodhs S/S 2013 series, taken out of context they may appear sincere, but together they make sense.

The models used in this series are mostly women that have previously been used in other advertisements, particularly
the women who were used in the campaign later on in 2015 which caused controversy. Unlike other advertisements Miu
Miu have done, this one stands out from the crowd. Taken from an outside-in perspective, these images are all about
being in with the Miu Miu girls, it is all about attempting to make consumers want to be the women in these photographs,
this is likely the reason why older women and men are included within this series, Steven Meisel wants whoever sees the
pictures to image being part of it. The clash between what the men and the women are wearing attempts to convey that
Miu Miu women are perhaps much rougher than first thought, there is an edginess in their girlyness.
Miu Miu’s girl is not prissy or pristine; she is all about public transport and morning-after hair- a relief to those of us
saving our taxi fare for the shiny handbags (Singer, 2015), this opinion seems perfectly relevant to all previous topics
discussed, there is looseness to Miu Miu which makes the brand desirable.
Sitting on a bench or standing at a bus stop, these women are telling a story of life rather than a story of clothes. As
opposed to modelling the clothes in a posy photo-shoot, the models are out living life and their clothes appear to help them
live it, it tells a tale of women in their everyday lives, it gives off an aura of a liveable fairy-tale; with the clothes you can
live the dream Steven Miesel is portraying. Miu Miu appear to be helping pave the way in a new type of fashion
photography. This is not the only story based theme they have done either.

Miu Miu is probably not the first brand someone thinks of when asked ‘what is your
favourite brand?’ Looking back, their early campaigns show a simplicity that now would
just not be expected of them. Miu Miu has caused an impact, not only in fashion but in
photography and film too. Their position in the market has crept up, so much so that
often they are priced higher than their sister brand Prada. All though the brand may not
be seen as important as the likes of Alexander McQueen or Moschino, what they appear
to have done behind the scenes with their advertisements and the details they go in to, to
create a story with in fashion, tells a tale that even though when on the catwalk, their
clothes are not as hotly anticipated as others, however, in years to come perhaps it will
be the brand consumers are excited to see the next campaign for because it always
appears as if they do something different each time. It is quite conceivable that Miu Miu
has learnt lessons from the past, it now has its own place in the market and no longer
needs to familiarise itself to other brands. The petty mistakes and mishaps they made
using the baby faced models and dressing them like young girls is likely a thing of the
past. Miu Miu has affected fashion marketing and branding for the better, their
experimentation will hopefully pave the way for future brand creativity.
Jamie Hawkesworth produced this collection of photographs for Miu Miu for their 2015
resort campaign. On a double page spread, the pictures of nature and still life would be
placed on the left and the models are placed on the right. The clothes they wear are in the
same colour tone as the left image, making it appear as if the both images are meant to be
together. Taken out of context, the photographs would not make as much sense (like the
image taken out of context on the front cover) and could be mistaken. The top picture
shows an aerial view of what looks like a river bed made up of sand and shrubs. Rocks and
sticks are also strewn around. The model on the right is wearing browns and purples, her
long gladiator shoes look like they are inspired by the image on the left. The same also is
applied to the image below it, the model appears to reflect the trees shape, her hair looks
like the long branches of the tree and the tones of both side by side images are very
similar. The pictures question where the garment inspiration has come from.
"It felt perfect and precise to open up the Miu Miu world a little, and to play with a very
narrow, but beautiful narrative," (Hawkesworth (2014) in Tan 2014) this is Jamie
Hawkesworth himself explaining that he was trying to tell a story with abstract images..
These alongside Miu Mius ‘subjective reality’ really show what the brand is capable of.

Menkes S. (1997) Lolita chic: Nasty Fashion Speak [Online] Available at:
http://search.proquest.com/docview/319124709/abstract/8FEFAF7FD7E2476FPQ/3?accountid=14693 [accessed 1 March.
2016]
Croft C (2013) Everybody Loves Miu Miu [Online] Available at:
https://www.nexis.com/results/enhdocview.do?docLinkInd=true&ersKey=23_T23593812938&format=GNBFI&startDocNo
=0&resultsUrlKey=0_T23593824448&backKey=20_T23593824449&csi=332263&docNo=8 [accessed 1 March. 2016]
Singer O. ANOTHER magazine ( 2015) Lessons we can learn from Miu Miu’s Subjective Reality [Online] Available at:
http://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/gallery/7393/miu-miu-a-w15/0 [accessed 5 March. 2016]
Kaiser. A ( 2006) Miu Miu comes in to its own [Online] Available at:
http://search.proquest.com/pqcentral/docview/231117166/ACCCB9BFB621492FPQ/1?accountid=14693 [accessed 5
March. 2016]
Tan J. Interview Magazine ( 204) Jamie Hawkesoworth’ s forensic fashion [Online] Available at:
http://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/jamie-hawkesworth-x-miu-miu-resort-2015/ [accessed 5 March. 2016]
In text references

References – Illustrations list
Miu Miu Logo (2015) Available at: http://goldenesquartier.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/0007_muimui-540x0-c-default.png
[accessed 25 Feb. 2016]
Miu Miu advertisement 4 (2015) Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/462885667931744491/ [accessed 25 Feb.
2016]
Miu Miu advertisement 2 (2015)
http://search.proquest.com/vogue/docview/1668212130/4F7C538C703F4617PQ/1?accountid=14693 Available at:
Miu Miu perfume advertisement 3(2016)
Miu Miu perfume advertisement 3(2016)
Miu Miu advertisement black and white 1 (1997) Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/462885667931744409/
Miu Miu advertisement hailee steinfeld (2011) Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/170222060888147927/
Miu Miu advertisement S/S 2013 (2013) Available at: www.miumiu.com/en/campaign/archive [accessed 1 March. 2016]
Miu Miu advertisement S/S 2014 (2014) Available at:
http://search.proquest.com/docveiw/1640678904?accountid=14693b [accessed 5. March 2016]
Miu Miu advertisement pre fall 2015 (2014) Available at:
http://mapltd.com/post/jamiehawkesworth/shootsmiumiuresort2015campaign [accessed 5. March 2016]
Miu Miu advertisement S/S 2013 (2013) Available at: http://www.designscene.net/2012/12/miu-miu-ss13-inez-vinoodh.html
[accessed 5. March 2016]

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