Canada Goose is, once again, working with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz – perhaps best known for her iconic photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono or a pregnant Demi Moore in Vanity Fair – to celebrate female empowerment and a “trio of tenacious muses.”
New creative for the apparel brand’s “Live in the Open” platform, which Canada Goose launched globally in 2019 as a means of documenting individuals and their relationships to communities, takes the apparel brand to the rugged New Mexico landscape.
The backdrop for its Fall/Winter 2023 collection, part of ongoing efforts by Canada Goose to diversify its offerings beyond rugged winter outerwear, is the same one that inspired legendary painter and local Georgia O’Keefe.
The portraiture work features three trailblazing women: actor, musician, writer and composer Sheila Atim, wildlife filmmaker and cinematographer Sophie Darlington and Olympic ice hockey goalie Kimberly Newell, who played for China’s first-ever professional ice hockey team and now dedicates herself to inspiring female athletes in Canada.
“This is all about celebrating fearless and visionary women, past, present and future,” says Penny Brook, Canada Goose’s chief marketing and experience officer. “It’s a great honour to do that with the highly esteemed cast and crew involved in this year’s ‘Live in the Open’ campaign, all of whom play a crucial role in inspiring our female consumer to live boldly, without compromising on style or performance.”
Left to right: Newell, Darlington, Atim
Brook says the brand’s objective was to create visually engaging content and give its muses a platform to share their experiences and the strength it requires to live pursuit of purpose – ultimately empowering other women.
As Brook tells strategy, Gen-Z and millennial women make up the core customer for the collection – combined they represent two-thirds of the collection’s consumer.
“Our FW22 campaign received over 5B+ impressions, with 97% of consumers recognizing it as “powerful” and “inspiring” [and] 81% of consumers agreed it represents a high-quality brand that caters to women, demonstrating success in shifting perceptions among female audiences.”
The current apparel collection, which launched globally, includes shades inspired by nature and uses Pima Cotton, Cashmere, and Lumina, a recycled fabric. Earlier this year, Canada Goose talked to consumers about sustainability, bringing groups of environmental activists together to discuss the climate.
In July, meanwhile, Canada Goose brought its platform for shopping and trading pre-loved garments, called “Generations,” to Canada. According to company president Carrie Baker, the move furthers the company’s commitment to sustainability but also caters to the growing number of people seeking second-hand goods: the number of searches for second-hand Canada Goose items grew by 50% between 2021 and 2022.
Initiative Canada was involved with the media buying in Canada. The shop supported with large format OOH, including bus wraps, murals, as well as targeted magazine ads.
“The campaign content is being amplified across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, display and search advertising tied to performance,” Brook notes. “Community and community-first content will continue to be an important touchpoint in the media mix as we drive deeper brand engagement and connections with our global communities on and offline.”
