• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, August 19, 2024

Neiman Marcus is looking to stand out this fall with “Extraordinary Pursuits,” a fashion campaign that’s a glamor throwback, starring actors Ayo (“The Bear”) Edebiri and Colman (“Euphoria”) Domingo. It’s the first major push from the Dallas-based luxury retailer since the July announcement that HBC, parent of Saks, announced its intention to acquire the company.* 

The story starts when a gust of wind blows a hat off Edebiri’s head, sending her into Neiman Marcus, where she and Domingo try on one hat after another, each inspiring a new look. The spot is broken up with title frames right out of a silent movie.

It’s part of the 30th anniversary of “The Art of Fashion,” the retailer’s annual fall fashion catalog. Tyler Mitchell, perhaps best known for his photo of Beyonce for a cover of Vogue, shot this year’s campaign, joining the ranks of iconic photographers like Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton.

In the retailer’s announcement, Nabil Aliffi, the company’s chief brand officer, says the new effort is “an homage to the personal style of our clients. The campaign celebrates cinematic world-making articulated through our curated product assortment.”

There’s also a site and app campaign takeover, with Mitchell's imagery and corresponding editorial stories.

Other assets of the campaign expand on the ongoing anthology series, “The Achievers,” part of last year’s New Frontierscampaign. In addition to Edebiri and Domingo, that effort also includes profiles of journalist Amy Fine Collins and longtime Neiman Marcus client Alexis Stiles, who both have cameos in the video.

As is true every August, the campaign is up against stiff competition as luxury brands unleash their fall fashion efforts. Gucci is also invoking Old Hollywood, with new ads starring actor Blake (“It Ends with Us”) Lively. Lively also graces the cover of September Vogue, the issue that still sets much of the fashion mood heading into New York Fashion Week.

And Tapestry’s shoe and boot brand Stuart Weitzman is also running a new “How lovely to be a woman” campaign. It, too, is full of famous faces, including new brand ambassadors like actors Issa Rae and Lucy Liu, models Christy Turlington and Ming Xi, and gymnast Aly Raisman.

But the stakes are more intense this year, with luxury brands under growing pressure.

LVMH, Kering, Burberry and Hugo Boss have all seen slumps recently, as brands lurch between catering to the world’s wealthiest and reaching out to more aspirational luxury shoppers, who are increasingly concerned about the economy.

“As a narrative of resurgence and resilience emerges, luxury brands must rethink the way they build their value proposition to prioritize trust and connection with consumers,” writes Claudia D’Arpizi, a Bain & Company partner and leader of Bain’s global luxury goods and fashion practice, in its recent analysis. “Many are navigating a momentary crisis, driven by macroeconomic pressures and a polarized customer base.”

The new ownership of Neiman Marcus, still subject to regulatory approvals, would rescue it from some of those financial pressures. HBC, the parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, announced in July that it would acquire Neiman Marcus in a $2.65 billion deal, establishing it as part of Saks Global, a tech-powered luxury retail company. The proposed deal includes HBC’s U.S. real estate assets and Neiman Marcus Group’s real estate assets, creating a $7 billion portfolio.

*An earlier version of this story should have clarified that the acquisition is still subject to regulatory approvals.