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Amid a fashion comeback, Ugg showcases its place in the cultural zeitgeist in the first global campaign by its new creative agency AKQA.
“Feels Like Ugg,” launching on Thursday, reveals the brand’s Fall/Winter line and builds on the brand’s platform that debuted in 2022. AKQA’s Los Angeles office, which opened last year under the creative leadership of global CCO and fashion veteran Shu Hung, spearheaded the campaign.
Ugg hired AKQA earlier this year to help define “a new spirit of the brand,” Carole Diarra, Ugg’s global vp of marketing, told ADWEEK. The resulting campaign represents the California-based label’s most globally diverse cast as it targets “culture creators and changemakers,” per Diarra.
“This is a step forward for us to show we’re a global brand part of the zeitgeist. We’re shaping and moving culture,” Diarra said.
The campaign features a cast of creative influencers from around the world, including models Alex Consani and Precious Lee; singer-songwriters Hanni and Leah Dou; artist and illustrator Karabo Poppy Moletsane; fashion photographer Phil Oh; and actor Young Mazino.
In an anthem film, the creators wear Ugg products while traversing the streets of Seoul, South Korea, playing music in a record store, making art, and holding impromptu photoshoots before meeting at a rooftop party.
The duo known as We Are From L.A. directed the film, while photographer Samuel Bradley captured the images.
“Feels Like Ugg” has a double meaning: as well as leaning into the shoe’s famous physical comfort, it is about how the brand inspires “inner comfort” through self-expression, Diarra explained.
There is also a strong community element to the campaign, which explores “how self-expression connects us,” she added.
The campaign’s concept was inspired by the Ugg signature twin seam stitch on the outside of its boots. This classic design feature informed the film’s narrative and will also be prominent in the Fall/Winter product line.
“We saw an opportunity to weave this brand heritage into a modern story, where the twin seam stitch metaphorically brings together diverse voices and styles, emphasizing Ugg’s role as a bridge between comfort and self-expression,” Hung told ADWEEK.
Ads will appear across digital and social media, out-of-home sites, connected TV, ecommerce, and retail stores.
