The First in Vogue

(NEW YORK) Oscar de la Renta is unarguably classic--but he's not afraid to take a calculated risk. His brand is upsetting its competition by running, for the first time ever, its fall campaign a month early in the July issue of Vogue.

On Thursday, Alex Bolen, president and chief executive officer of Oscar de la Renta, revealed to Fashion Week Daily that the iconic American fashion house decided to run its highly-anticipated fall ad campaign, shot by Craig McDean, in the July issue of Vogue, out in two weeks time. "We have delivered at least of 85 percent of our pre-fall collection, and within the next few weeks we will have delivered a major portion of the runway collection," Bolen explained, adding that the company has had a longstanding relationship with Vogue and its editor in chief, Anna Wintour. "Our business is all about getting the early sales; our customer is all about newness. And if we can be there first, we will get those sales."

As Bolen shrewdly pointed out, an earlier delivery translates to early sales, which, for the bottom line, means the difference between a good season and a great season. "When that July issue of Vogue drops, we're going to pick up some early fall selling that other brands may not," he rationalized, noting that the brand's recent resort show took place two weeks earlier than in 2007. "We'll see how it goes."

A front-of-book spread was purchased for the July issue of Vogue. In August, Town & Country and W will pick up the company's ads in addition. Bolen declined to provide ad rates with Vogue as part of this new deal, but he didn't expect Oscar de la Renta's fall ads to remain in Vogue beyond the October issue.

Oscar de la Renta's fall campaign was shot at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, one of the leading research facilities in the world for biological studies. Creative director Doug Lloyd described the Louis Kahn-designed location as a modern classic. The images feature models Anja Rubik and Magdalena Frackowiak (both of whom were also in the designer's Spring 2008 campaign) set on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A behind-the-scenes look at the campaign will launch on the company's Web site this fall. "The bold lines and dramatic setting of the Salk Institute provided the perfect environment for capturing the look and feel of my designs," said de la Renta.
JIM SHI