The luxury travel retailer’s campaign follows the adventures and journeys of three international travellers and social media influencers — French music producer Caroline de Maigret, rising Taiwanese actor Godfrey Gao and Chinese artist Zhou Yi. In a first for an international luxury brand, the campaign integrates their personal travel photographs into advertising and visual merchandising in-store.
Launched on March 2, the three-part video campaign explores the travels and tales of each influencer.
John Gerhardt, senior VP, creative and branding direction, DFS Group, said both travel and luxury are very personal.
“Our three travellers generously contributed to the campaign with their own vacation photographs. In turn, the campaign has a sense of authenticity and personalisation.”
Customers are invited to explore the campaign in-store through a dynamic experience featuring social-inspired displays, lenticular surfaces, video projections, multimedia walls, pop-up photo booths and aerial installations — all designed by the retailer’s award-winning visual merchandising team.
Visitors to TGalleria.com can click into an immersive digital experience featuring with audio clips from each influencer, video content, and travel guides. Customers and followers can share travel photos using #MyTJourney on Facebook, Instagram, Weibo and WeChat.
Godfrey Gao is widely hailed as the world’s first Asian male supermodel, and is also an internationally acclaimed actor, starring in Hollywood films and Chinese television shows. Born in Taipei to a Taiwanese father and Malaysian mother, he grew up in Canada, and now travels frequently around Asia from his home in Taipei.
Zhou Yi is a Chinese artist and fashion muse who has lived in Rome, Paris, London and Shanghai. Her multimedia surrealist work has been shown at the Shanghai Biennale, Venice Biennale, Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. Since 2010, she was appointed the art director of Tudou.com and currently serves as an art and fashion advisory member at Sina Weibo.
Caroline de Maigret is a fashion muse, model, music producer, best-selling author and mother.
The first episode, debuting on March 2, follows music producer and fashion muse Caroline in Chopard, who opens her travel journal sharing personal images from the deep blue waters of Spain’s Cadaqués to her recent trip across Asia, as well as how each journey collectively has inspired her work.
The second episode launches on April 1 and features screen star and model Godfrey wearing Emporio Armani who shares how travel feeds his appetite to experience the world. Basking in the tropical sun, his photos are an invitation for a dip into the coral reefs of Bora Bora and a ride on the canals of Venice, Italy.
The final episode launches on May 1 starring celebrated Chinese artist Zhou Yi in Giorgio Armani Beauty. From showing her latest works in Hong Kong to being inspired by Singapore’s bright city lights, the artist shares how each journey transports her into a world of wonder where inspiration can be found at every turn.
To complement the campaign, T Galleria by DFS commissioned celebrated French fashion illustrator Cassandre Montoriol. Since partnering with the retailer in 2014, Montoriol has added to the season through her whimsical illustrations which have reached 12 million travelers on social media across Asia.
T Galleria by DFS, formerly known as DFS Galleria, is the evolution of the original travel retail concept pioneered by DFS Group, whose first downtown store opened in 1968 in Hong Kong, followed shortly thereafter by Honolulu and eventually expanding to 14 locations worldwide.
Today, T Galleria by DFS has a presence in the US Asia, Australasia and the South Pacific.
