enSoie

Michèle, our head stylist, and Rafael, our main photographer and filmmaker, are responsible for the look and feel of the brand's campaigns. A few weeks ago, they shot the Autumn-Winter 2024 campaign together. In their conversation, the two reflect on their work, the highs and lows, the stress and harmony, self-criticism and confidence.

Rafael: You are currently planning the upcoming Christmas campaign. Christmas is a recurring, annual event. How do you manage to make the campaign look different every year without it losing its recognition value?

Michèle: I get a presentation of the new collection from our design and production team. During this presentation, some first styling ideas or references immediately come to mind. This time it was old movies from the sixties. The colours of the collection reminded me of them. After the presentation, I start researching more cultural references.

Rafael: So, you base your research on your first look at the collection?

Michèle: Yes, always. Sometimes, I get some additional keywords. This year, for example, “American Christmas”, “Horses” or “Cowboy”. Based on that I started to brainstorm and I am now creating a mood for the new campaign. After this process, the two of us get together for a first exchange. You are an important part. With your background as a filmmaker, you have an incredibly good sense of how and whether the moods I want to create fit together.

Rafael: We also have to match our ideas also with the possibilities we have. Sometimes they are bigger than our team capacity...

Michèle: Yes. That is sometimes a challenge. We want to create emotionally touching images. At the same time, the images also have to sell our products. In my position, I have to bring both together. I am responsible for ensuring that the images match our story and present our products in the ideal setting. That sometimes means stopping you as a creative in your element because we only just have to shoot exactly the photos we need.

Rafael: Often, I am a little worried about the scale of our production. We do crazy shoots – for example, the last autumn-winter campaign – with a lot of travelling and a crew of 10 people maximum per day. I am the only photographer on set. Other brands we follow invest millions in their campaigns! But somehow, I say yes to every shoot, even when I know that it is going to be tough.

Michèle: Would you act differently in your role as an independent film director than as part of team enSoie?

Rafael: That is an interesting question. No, I don't think so. The work I do with enSoie has always felt very much like the work of a filmmaker. I was solely responsible for the visual material. The work was always hard, but it also gave me confidence. I now know that I can do a shoot or a film on my own, or direct the production and that the end result will be good. At the same time, I have to admit that I am the biggest critic of my own work. It never looks the way I first imagined it. The standards I set for myself are high.

Michèle: Yes, I know this feeling very well. I used to work as a fashion editor for a long time. When I look at the result of our work at the end of a project, I think: Ok, that’s it now. Others might say: “Wow, the campaign looks great”, but I am too close to the project, I guess. In our job, it's always difficult to remain objective.

Rafael: Is it also the mental load that makes you feel that way?

Michèle: Yes, I think so. I am always very focused on set. That’s because I have to think about all the things that are happening around me – did we shoot the right pictures? Did we get all the shots we wanted? Do the pictures look good? That is particularly challenging in our case because you are shooting on an analog camera. The pictures are very beautiful in the end but we cannot see them on set. When you send me the photos and I see them for the first time, it’s always like opening a present. A surprise, but I always know that it will be a good one. That's because I have gotten to know you very well over the years that we have been working together. I know I can trust you and your skills. How do you feel about us working together on every campaign? Is it an advantage for you too?

Rafael: It is great! You could tell me, let's shoot something tomorrow, and I would come over with the camera right away. We don't need a lot of communication. The fact that we know how well we work together gives me the confidence to show up at any crazy location with very little information. That's the advantage of always working with the same crew. But sometimes I wonder if we could push each other more to achieve even better results. On the other hand, I don’t know if we could, or if I even wanted to. I have realised that it is important for me to work in a relaxed environment. Our jobs are stressful enough as it is...

Michèle: But when we work together, we support each other. When I am in a slump, you take over, and vice versa. I think that is one of the qualities we have developed through our long collaboration.

Rafael: Do you feel like you are still growing? Do you still feel challenged?

Michèle: Yes, a lot! One of the challenges is to further establish the visual language we have developed for Maison enSoie, while keeping it contemporary with new ideas, places, people, and technologies.

Rafael: What a good and important thing to realise!