Eagle-eyed souls who follow Gucci on Instagram have probably noticed that the Italian house has rolled out a series of pre-fall 2017 campaign “audition” videos, featuring a cast entirely made up of black models. According to the captions, they were taken today in London, but further intel is thin on the ground. One thing we did glean: The ads were apparently cast by Midland Agency, which has cast “real people” models for designers like Eckhaus Latta and Hood by Air. (We’ve reached out to a Gucci rep and Midland for additional info, and will update this when we hear back.)
One thing’s for certain: It’s a big diversity push from one of the most visible luxury houses, in a sphere where racial diversity continues to be woefully lacking. In the clips, each new face is answering a question about his or her spirit animal, what it means to have soul, or, curiously, about their dance experience, which suggests there could be a movement element to the eventual campaign. In the meantime, watch some of their takes below, or go to their Instagram feed to check out the whole series.