Meet The Man Behind The Anna Dello Russo x H&M Campaign!

Everyone, meet Alex Turvey. Alex Turvey is one of those terrifyingly brilliant director/designers who makes ace films which straddle the surreal and the glamorous in equal measure. His most recent work may well top all of his achievements - making the campaign video for H&M's forthcoming Anna Dello Russo collection. Safe to say, it's amazing. Grazia caught up with him to chat collaborations, commandments and Kanye...

GRAZIA: Hi Alex! So, how did you get involved in the project?

ALEX TURVEY: I was approached by H&M through my production company Colonel Blimp. They sent me the track and asked me to come up with a treatment for the video, it was a totally open brief I had to feature Anna and the Collection and the rest was mine to play with! Dream project! 

G: What was the idea behind it?

AT: The 10 commandments of fashion, ADR style… need I say more? 

G: One imagines ADR likes creative control – was it a collaboration?

AT: After Anna had given my treatment her blessing, we briefly spoke before the shoot and her only request was that we include a reference to 'Anna' recording the track. So I designed the headphones, microphone and gold record for 'Anna's' cutaway performance shots.

G: What was she like to work with?

AT: On set Anna was an absolute dream to work with, she respected my work and my direction and let me get on with it, equally I didn't want her to be over choreographed or pushed in a direction that  wasn't 'Anna' it was so important to the final film that Anna was genuinely having fun in each scene, she gave each performance everything she had and didn't complain once, even when being hoisted onto a 2 metre gold stiletto at 10pm and rotated at precarious speed showered under gold light.

G: How involved was she in actually styling the pieces?

AT: We had no stylist on set just Anna, she styles herself, her look is completely her vision without compromise which I really respect about her. She just knows what works and how to wear it. Her confidence and energy is very inspiring. 

G: Any shoot highlights or anecdotes you care to share?

Anna has the most  amazing energy, we shot for 16 hours and her focus never dropped. Anna's one request was that I make her a Kanye mix tape and we play it LOUD pretty much all day between intermittent bursts of 'Fashion Shower'. A ridiculous yet appropriate hip hop gloss swept over the shoot, and I'm pretty sure I have at least one take of Anna lip syncing amazing 'Gold Digger' whilst throwing her giant gold charms in the air and trying to eat them like grapes. 

Already a fan? Course you are. Here are some links to his other work (you're welcome) WEBSITE / BLOG / TWITTER / VIMEO 

(pics courtesy of Tom Gildon)