With a continuation of its year-long love letter to New York, Kate Spade New York is reviving the city’s soul once again. This American fashion house conveys a spirit of optimism and hope for this summer with an enthusiastic dance routine featuring a brilliant ensemble of New York-based artists who, like so many others across the world, have endured challenging circumstances in the last year.
As the brand continues to uplift the New York community and support local New Yorkers, many of whom have been forced out of work due to the pandemic, Kate Spade New York tapped choreographer, Dylan Pearce, and singer-songwriter, Ines Nassara, to create an inspiring, unjaded performance that evokes a sense of release and excitement, with a fresh take on the classic Judy Garland tune, “Get Happy.”
Pearce was approached by the brand on Instagram in December 2020 and was instantly taken to his unwavering attitude and reluctance to allow even the worst days of the pandemic to stop him from making beautiful art. The brand immediately enlisted Pearce and his network of performers to help create their latest toe-tapping campaign video.
According to Pearce, the choreography project began as a way to uplift spirits and bring friends together to create something thoughtful and fresh during a time when many were out of work. Pearce shares, “The song, ‘Get Happy,’ has always spoken to me, and I had been sitting on it for a long time. Looking back, it was like everything aligned at the perfect time. I always say there is nothing better than doing what you love with the people you love.”
To further the theme of shining a light on the people and organizations that inspire the brand, Kate Spade New York is partnering with The National Council for Mental Wellbeing to provide Mental Health First Aid training to New Yorkers within the artistic community. An extension of the brand’s social impact mission focused on mental health and wellbeing, Kate Spade New York is donating $100,000 to provide mental health services to performers in the New York City area, giving them the resources to support their community, friends and family members who might be experiencing mental health or substance use challenge.
Kate Spade New York will amplify the Summer 2021 campaign via an innovative partnership with TikTok. Leaning into the viral nature that dance and music play on the social media platform, Kate Spade New York collaborated with TikTok creators Todrick Hall (@Todrick) and Kelli Erdmann (@HappyKelli), who worked directly with Dylan Pearce and the ensemble cast to create their own dance routines that complement the choreography in the hero campaign film while leveraging the unique creative features that TikTok users know and love. To build on the content created with Todrick and Happy Kelli, the brand will also be launching a hashtag challenge across the entire TikTok community, encouraging others to express their own joy and bring the energy of the campaign to TikTok users around the globe.
“We’ve seen an incredible surge in our performance on TikTok from creators who love our product and who want to engage directly with our brand, in completely new ways,” Jenny Campbell shared. “We also know that consumers have started to interact with brands differently, especially during this past year. Through this collaboration with TikTok and two of their top creators, we are adapting to a more consumer-centric model that allows us to connect with audiences in a way that gets them directly involved in the fun, while also encouraging them to create content through their own unique perspectives.”
Taking centre stage in this campaign is the brand’s iconic Spade Flower Jacquard collection, this season in a beautiful green colourway that’s both versatile and bold – giving the new styles a rich monochromatic look. The Spade Flower Jacquard group is now available in a variety of shapes and styles, including a fashion sneaker, in addition to a range of handbag silhouettes – from large totes that hold everything, to convenient crossbodies just for essentials. Created in partnership with Limonta, the family-owned mill in northern Italy that has produced jacquard for over 100 years, the brand continues to build upon this signature group, offering a collection of everyday products designed to make a statement with a smile. The Spade Flower Jacquard collection will be available in Malaysia after the Movement Control Order (FMCO).
Styled by Stella Greenspan, this new campaign also features key looks from the Kate Spade New York Summer 2021 collection across ready-to-wear, handbags, jewellery, footwear and more, all of which feature vibrant pops of colour, natural textures, and playful and feminine details throughout. The campaign was launched on June 1, 2021, across Kate Spade New York’s website and social channels.