Bernard James has revealed another installment of his ongoing campaign series ‘Family Portraits.’
For its FP23 campaign, the jewelry brand shared an impressive slate of 25 vignettes of close friends and family members associated with the creative director of the namesake company. James chose to release campaign imagery with stylists, fashion directors and creatives including Jess Willis, Ian Bradley, Jian De Leon, Reva Bhatt, Shibon Kennedy, and more. The visuals, directed and shot by David Ko and Jacob Cooper, highlight pieces like the Flora Helios Ring and its complementary Flora Helios Earring.
“Family Portraits began in 2020 out of my desire to connect with close friends,” James tells ESSENCE.com. “We didn’t plan for it to be an annual campaign, but both the experience on set and the later response to the result were so strong that we couldn’t help but do it again,” he notes.
The ‘Family Portraits’ approach to campaign imagery is refreshing amongst the sea of seasonal visuals that often centers models. By turning the lens on those who are a part of his tribe, James inadvertently hones in on the belief that community is an essential part of leading a creative life.
When asked about the key takeaways he hopes viewers will gather from his latest campaign, James shares, “There are actually two takeaways that I think are most important: process and evolution.” The jewelry designer goes on to explain that this year has been all about process, as he and his team took a step back to dive deeper into their work while approaching each step with intention.
“It was so rewarding to see how the campaign and even the collections themselves have evolved,” Bernard said. “The move from analog to digital, still to motion, allowed us to showcase this idea of connection in a much different way,” he added.
Discover 7 individuals featured in Bernard James’ 2023 ‘Family Portraits.’
