When we enthusiastically dived into 2020, nobody could have predicted that in just a couple of months, life as we knew it would change forever. The age of isolation has brought with it waves of uncertainty and fear. But across industries, businesses are now gearing up to adapt to life in the “new normal”.
In response to this, Condé Nast India announces ‘Vogue + GQ x Myntra Behind The Mask', a mammoth, multilayered social awareness campaign helmed by a five-episode video series with a call to action that benefits Indian kaarigars (craftspeople). These videos ‘unmask' five of India's leading fashion designers, Tarun Tahiliani, Rahul Mishra, Gaurav Gupta, Anita Dongre and Manish Malhotra, on film, giving us an intimate peek into their lives during the pandemic. In these episodes, each designer also creates a prototype of a mask using elements from Indian art and culture. These designs then serve as inspiration for five unique mask collections, each an ode to a craft or a community.
The objective of this campaign is twofold: to promote the wearing of masks, and to raise funds for the kaarigars who tirelessly work behind the scenes of the Indian textile industry, and are among those worst hit by the pandemic. This initiative achieves the first objective by mass-producing masks inspired by the designers' prototypes. And it raises funds by donating all profits to GiveIndia—all this while creating impactful content that is at the core of Condé Nast India's legacy.
As Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director of Condé Nast India, elaborates, “Behind The Mask is one of the most ambitious projects we've ever undertaken. From video concept, production, product design and packaging to bringing on board multiple partners, this activity was entirely orchestrated by Condé Nast India during the lockdown, managed remotely by multiple stakeholders.”
This is also the first time two Condé Nast India titles, Vogue and GQ, have joined forces for a campaign of this scale. What makes this project interesting is the extent of collaboration required to pull it off, especially since it was entirely produced in the era of lockdown and self-isolation where nothing but the “essential” was permitted. The making of the video series is a case study in itself, with everything from conceptualising to scripting and shooting done remotely, with help from the designers' loved ones who happily agreed to play co-filmmakers. Using mobile phones and digital cameras, with extensive notes from the director and the cinematographer and briefings over video calls, Condé Nast Video India managed to pull off these videos, that too in broadcast specifications.
执行这个项目,康泰纳仕印度了on board Myntra to produce and sell the masks, TLC and TLC HD to broadcast and Discovery+ to stream the episodes. Finally, all profits will go to GiveIndia, which has partnered with NGOs across the country helping the craftspeople in the current times.
This one-of-a-kind initiative has been a labour of love since the very beginning. We invite you to join us, as we get #BehindTheMask with India's top designers. The episodes are on the Myntra app and will be showcased on TLC, TLC HD and Discovery+.
To shop the masks inspired by the designers, go toMyntra.
