Julien Dossena’s Spring-Summer 2025 campaign for Rabanne reimagines the everyday through an artful juxtaposition of utilitarian ease and extravagant allure, captured in a dreamlike landscape of pink salt lakes.
By Fashion Editorial Staff
Julien Dossena’s SS25 collection for Rabanne blooms against the surreal, rose-tinted waters of the pink salt lakes, where the line between practicality and luxury blurs in an exquisite dance of contrasts. Shot by the masterful Alasdair McLellan and Romain Laprade, the campaign unravels the delicate balance between utility and indulgence—transforming the mundane into something otherworldly. Here, the familiar becomes a canvas for Dossena’s vision of quiet grandeur.
Transformed Classics
Dossena’s reimagining of classic preppy staples—rugby tops, repp ties, striped boxer shorts—pushes them beyond the ordinary, channeling a new sense of elegance. The everyday is recontextualized through the lens of Rabanne’s signature innovation: silver-lined windbreakers, buckled utility skirts, and poplin tops with unexpected back openings that provoke with a tension between tradition and futurism.
Materials shimmer with a luminous, almost ethereal quality, where frosted cable knits, foiled guipure lace, and silvery jacquards evoke both industrial rawness and celestial radiance. A soft yet clinical palette—mint, rose, lilac, and baby blue—balances candy-sweet nostalgia with contemporary precision. It’s a color story that nods to both the past and the future, a visual conversation between softness and sharpness.
Key pieces echo this duality: a parachute blouson in faded chambray is both casual and considered, while a structured leather caban offers an unexpected contrast to the relaxed silhouettes beneath. Men’s blazers, redefined with drawstring waists, speak to a seamless blend of tailoring and sportswear.
The Art of Layering
Stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé brings Dossena’s vision to life through a sophisticated layering of textures and silhouettes, drawing the eye into a world where fluidity and structure coexist in elegant tension. Models Mica Argañaraz and Kieran Celzo embody this versatility, moving effortlessly between sculptural shapes and softer, more organic forms.
The creative team, led by McLellan, crafts a narrative in motion, further enhanced by videographer Andréa Montano’s film work and Piergiorgio Del Moro’s careful model selection. The imagery is elevated by the pulsating beats of Surkin, creating a sensory experience that lingers long after the image fades. In one arresting frame, Argañaraz stands at the water’s edge, adorned in a metallic-tinged striped ensemble and a signature chainmail bag—perfectly encapsulating Rabanne’s ability to celebrate its heritage while forging boldly ahead into the future.
Accessories as Artistry
The accessories in this collection transcend mere adornment, becoming works of art in their own right. The reimagined chainmail bags, which have become synonymous with Rabanne, appear throughout the campaign as both functional pieces and visual sculptures. Their pink and metallic variations mirror the landscape, creating a harmonious dialogue between fashion and nature.
A close-up still life by Romain Laprade presents an alternating chain detail in blue and pink translucent elements, a modern nod to Rabanne’s storied history of metal craftsmanship. These accessories elevate the collection, adding a layer of tactile intrigue and visual resonance.
In a bold move, Rabanne introduces the Artisan Editions—reinventing its iconic 1969 assemblage bags through three unique collaborations: with Arthus-Bertrand in medal-making, Astier de Villatte in ceramics, and Venini in blown glass. Each partnership brings traditional craftsmanship into dialogue with Rabanne’s forward-thinking design, especially in the reinterpretation of metal discs originally inspired by butcher aprons.
A Sensual Minimalism
Perhaps most striking is the campaign’s exploration of intimacy and contrast. In a powerful image, a male figure stands with his back to the camera, next to Argañaraz in a white mesh tank and metallic wrap skirt—a composition that speaks to Dossena’s fascination with the tension between concealment and revelation, strength and vulnerability.
At its core, the collection achieves something rare: it transforms the everyday into something sublime, without ever losing sight of wearability. In Dossena’s hands, the practical becomes poetic, and the familiar is made new once more.
Photography: Alasdair McLellan & Romain Laprade
Creative Direction: Julien Dossena
Styling: Marie-Amélie Sauvé
Hair: Stephane Lancien
Makeup: Miranda Joyce
Models: Mica Argañaraz (Viva), Kieran Celzo (Run Model)
Production: 5 Etoiles