We Speak Image
It is often said that a single image is worth a thousand words, and there is no industry where this is more true than the fashion business. So, what better place for Canon to bring its “We Speak Image” campaign to life than through the world of fashion.
Canon has been heavily involved in sponsoring the fashion industry for several years, but this year went a stage further. From top designers to the general public the “We Speak Image” campaign captured enormous interest across Europe and provoked debate about the images that sum up a country’s identity.
Popular website fuelled ideas for leading designers
We asked people to send us photos that represented the spirit of their country. There was an amazing response with nearly 20,000 pictures published. Every week people voted on the one that meant the most to them. And every time an image was uploaded Canon donated 50 Euro cents to the Red Cross.
The websites attracted a lot of interest, including fashion and photography forums and blogs. There were great discussions about national identity and fashion.
The next step was to give the most popular images in each country to a leading fashion designer. These formed the inspiration for a national fashion collection, created using state-of-the-art imaging equipment. Each designer was given a Canon DC50 camcorder and a Digital IXUS 70 to create video and picture diaries during the creative process.
The collections were exhibited in 17 European cities, featuring public displays of the collections created, some with catwalk shows and photographic studios for the public to use. Further fund raising events for the Red Cross also featured.