Fendi embraces the unpredictable in new Peekaboo effort

April 1, 2021

Naomi Watts stars in a new vignette for the Peekaboo handbag. Image credit: Fendi

Italian fashion brand Fendi is launching its new Peekaboo handbag with the help from Academy-Award nominated actress Naomi Watts.

In a short spot entitled “Wild Untamed Naomi,” viewers follow the actress, in her own home, as she retrieves several items from the new Fendi handbag that determine the subsequent events of her day. Surprising, comical and entertaining, the short film represents the expressive attitude of the Peekaboo purse.

“Naomi Watts is someone who is known for her great sense of style and being able to go from being out and about to hitting the red carpet,” said Kimmie Smith, cofounder and creative director of Athleisure Mag, New York. “Seeing her wearing pieces from the house of Fendi as well as their iconic bags is a great way to see their versatility.

“I think when you’re able to see a brand within the scope of a person’s home and throughout various vignettes, it adds the personality of the person that is engaging with it,” she said. “It makes viewers and consumers comfortable with seeing it and thinking of how it can be worn or used in their own lives.”

A constant amid the ever-changing
The short film is in partnership with Vogue Australia and was crafted to celebrate the opening of the new Fendi boutique in Sydney.

It opens with Ms. Watts sitting on her couch and turning on her miniature television after retrieving the remote from her Peekaboo ISEEU medium purse. The purse is in a classic ivory shade with gold accents.

Wild Untamed Naomi

Ms. Watts then shuts off the television, reclines on the couch and reaches over to pull a crystal out of her handbag. After the actress sits in a meditative state, holding the crystal, she reappears in her kitchen in new attire, a purple and opaque dress with a yellow collar and long sleeves.

While in the kitchen, Ms. Watts retrieves a large chocolate bar from the refrigerator with gold paper wrapping that matches the gold accents of her handbag. The scene then cuts to her walking into another room, still touting a chocolate bar but now wearing a long-sleeved red dress with an orange Peekaboo bag.

Ms. Watts begins to remove miscellaneous items from her orange bag including a feather. After she inspects the feather, she lets out a free and loud scream.

She then bangs on her chest, is transformed into a different outfit, with a Peekaboo bag in gray, and begins dancing throughout the room. For Ms. Watts, this is a moment of freedom and expression.

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Naomi Watts carries several different Peekaboo handbags in the film

Across different scenes and settings within her apartment, one constant remains: the Peekaboo bag. The bag, appearing in different colors throughout the film, is a symbol of Ms. Watts’s different experiences and moods and a reminder to consumers that the Peekaboo bag can be a product that resonates with them through their disparate moods and experiences as well.

“This Fendi spot will definitely elicit a shocked and possibly confused viewer response,” said Dalia Strum, founder of Rethink Connect and professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. “This could have multiple trickle-down effects, which includes motivating viewers to re-watch the spot more than once.

“This strategy effectively increases subliminal product visibility and unexpected multiple additional touch points with their potential consumers,” she said.

The new Peekaboo bag is available in several different colors, prints, styles and sizes on the Fendi website.

Fashion and a mini-movie
Luxury brands have taken to storytelling to inventive and whimsical storytelling to promote their latest goods.

Earlier in March, Fendi unveiled the newest episode of its #BaguetteFriendsForever series, starring real life best friends Ryoko Yonekura and Youn-a. Set in an apartment in Tokyo, “Through the Night” is centered on the friendship between the actress and model with a special focus on the Fendi Baguette bag (see story).

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana highlighted its flirty attitude with its latest fragrance its latest short film. The short film opens with a closeup of Italian actress Deva Cassel as she dances through the flower-lined streets of Bellagio, Italy to the soundtrack of Chelsea Grams' “Keep Up” (see story).

Brands continue to release colorful campaigns that make consumers envision themselves with these promoted products.

“Since Naomi is pulling items in and out of the bag, it really makes it the focal point of the spot,” Athleisure Mag’s Ms. Smith said. “In addition, there are multiple colorways that are shown which also allows the consumer to see which one works best in their lifestyle or what they wish to add to their collection.”

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