Absolut Legends

JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER JOINS HANDS WITH ABSOLUT IN THEIR NEW FASHION CAMPAIGN,
ABSOLUT LEGENDS.

The ABSOLUT LEGENDS campaign is inspired by traditional Swedish legends and contains stunning Haute Couture by Jean Paul Gaultier, photographed in the Stockholm Archipelago by Jean-Baptiste Mondino in June 2002. When Gaultier and Mondino meet for their first ever out door shoot together, the result is quite simply spellbinding.

Mix one part stunning Haute Couture by legendary designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, one part photography shot during the white nights of June in Sweden by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, one part mystical Swedish legends with a dash of ABSOLUT VODKA and one has an indication of what ABSOLUT LEGENDS is all about. However, to give full credit to the campaign, you also need to consider the beauty of the Stockholm archipelago in June. The result is a series of images that are totally unique.

I was intrigued with the project from the beginning - the legends are very inspiring. And since I had worked with ABSOLUT before, I felt confident in accepting the challenge. What I have tried to create are 'fashionary legends'. Traditional myths interpreted in a modern way. I thought of the legends as the characters in an imagined movie, 'The legend of ABSOLUT'," explains Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The legends are part of the Swedish heritage and also part of our lives. We are extremely proud to have Jean-Paul Gaultier interpret them on our behalf. I think it is amazing to see how he has not only managed to capture what these traditional sagas stand for in a modern way, but how he has also managed to get the core values of ABSOLUT into the creations", says Eva Kempe Forsberg, Vice President Marketing at The ABSOLUT Company.

The photography, by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, was shot at Sandhamn in the archipelago of Stockholm. This was the first time Jean Paul Gaultier and Jean Baptiste Mondino attempted an outdoor shoot together. This unique location was chosen not only to emphasise the origin of the legends, but also to capture the magical light of the Swedish summer nights. The motives and the mystique surrounding this beautiful landscape set the tone of the whole campaign.

The legends range from the pagan Midsommar - the fertility festivity on the brightest day of the year - to Lucia, the saint that brings light to the darkest night of the Swedish winter. The series also features Näcken, the Pan violinist sitting semi naked in the melancholy brook, luring passers by into the water with his spellbinding music, as well as the Älva, that beautiful creature of the woods who dances in the mist of the early summer morning.

The ABSOLUT LEGENDS campaign will be launched in the October issues of select Vogue magazines around the world.

Visit ABSOLUT LEGENDS at absolut.com/legends

ABSOLUT LEGENDS is the new tribute to the long relationship ABSOLUT has with the world of fashion. Previous campaigns include the ABSOLUT VERSACE series, photographed by Herb Ritts at the Ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden; ABSOLUT TOM FORD/ABSOLUT GUCCI shot by Mario Testino in Paris; as well as ABSOLUT NEWTON, where eight fashion creations were shot by Helmut Newton in Åhus, Sweden.