Italian fashion house Prada has unveiled its 2026 holiday campaign titled «Drawing Prada», which for the first time combines classic studio photography with hand-drawn animation on such a scale. The main heroines of the winter narrative are «Stranger Things» actresses Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke, who find themselves in a fairy-tale snowy world populated by fictional animals. According to Wave RBC.UA, information about the campaign was published on Prada's official Instagram.
Campaign Cast and Creative Team
In addition to Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke, the shoot featured Kelvin Harrison Jr., Luther Ford, and Chinese actress and singer Chen Haoyu. The campaign photographer was Glenn Luchford, and the art team was led by John Pomeroy, an animator who worked on Disney films such as «Pocahontas» and «Fantasia 2000». It was his team that drew the characters interacting in the frame with live actors and brand accessories.
Small Adventures of Each Hero
Each participant in the campaign has their own mini-story. Maya Hawke is accompanied by a fox in a snowy landscape, while Sadie Sink encounters mice stealing her shoes. A snow lynx shows interest in Chen Haoyu's bag, rabbits and bats appear near Luther Ford, and in one of the scenes with Kelvin Harrison Jr., a snowflake lands in his nylon backpack. These details turn the advertising frames into short visual sketches.
Technique: How Photography and Drawing Live in One Space
To ensure that live footage and drawn characters form a cohesive space, the team coordinated lighting, perspective, and character movements. Individual gestures and fine animation details were created by hand, emphasizing the brand's commitment to traditional techniques. Alongside photographs, Prada introduced short videos combining live-action performance with 2D animation, as well as a behind-the-scenes reel showing artists developing characters with pencil and paper.
Focus on Handcraft and Storytelling
Traditional animation became the foundation of the campaign's concept: the creators focused on handcraft, imagination, and the art of storytelling. Thus, «Drawing Prada» builds a dialogue between fashion photography and classic hand-drawn animation, transporting the 2026 holiday collection into a winter fairy-tale atmosphere.
