• by Larissa Faw , April 26, 2016

Italian luxury eyewear Persol is supporting the redesign of its iconic Persol 649 style of sunglasses, which were glamorized by legends like Steve McQueen with the “Meet the New Generation” campaign.

Developed with digital agency Kettle, the “experiential social” project serves as a graphic novel brought to life on Instagram. Viewers are invited to choose their own adventure to shape the story. There are seven chapters in total, with two released each week, on Tuesday and Thursday. 

The concept is based around a character named Frankie Malone, who is "a rebel seeking to overthrow a regime that has outlawed free thought and stamped out individuality," says the agency. 

With art by illustrator Jonathan Bartlett, the design is based on a classic dystopian thriller resembling films like "Blade Runner," "Gattaca" and "Minority Report," while modernizing the story for the world of social media, per the agency.

This digital initiative is supported with more traditional elements featuring actor Scott Eastwood in print ads. Shot by French photographer Mathieu Cesar, the images show Eastwood in candid and simplistic settings as he showcases the sunglasses. 

Kettle has been working with Persol’s parent company Luxottica since 2013 and collaborated on its first project with Persol in 2015.