Zalando Partners With Fashion Industry Names to Release Never Before Seen Images on the Theme of Human Connection

Brooklyn Beckham, Diane von Furstenberg, Jeremy Scott and Munroe Bergdorf amongst names to share candid, personal moments curated and released as part of the #WeWillHugAgain campaign

BERLIN, Dec. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Zalando, Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, is partnering with some of fashion's biggest names to bring the feeling of a million virtual hugs across Europe. The campaign features Brooklyn Beckham, Diane von Furstenberg, Jeremy Scott and Munroe Bergdorf sharing candid images showing the ultimate expression of human connection and solidarity: the hug.

Against the backdrop of a challenging year of uncertainty and separation, the collection comes with the inspirational rallying cry - 'We Will Hug Again' - an optimistic message of a more positive future and a reminder of the importance of personal connection this festive period. Images used in the campaign can be downloaded here.

The campaign also features friend of Zalando, model and activist Rain Dove.

The image collection is an extension of Zalando's Holiday Campaign, 'We Will Hug Again', which launched in November with the heart-warming film, '100 Years of Hugs' and a series of images - Hug Portraits - of real people embracing.

As part of the efforts to celebrate the power of human connection, Zalando is also supporting the Red Cross to help those who may be isolated and lacking that connection at this time. While many of us cannot hug at this moment in time, together they are looking forward to a time when we can. They are calling on consumers to pick a favourite picture of a hug memory from their camera roll and share it on social media. For each post tagging @Zalando and using #WeWillHugAgain, Zalando will donate €5 to the Red Cross.

Photographer Brooklyn Beckham, whose emotive imagery made him the perfect fit for the campaign features, said of the partnership: "Human connection and physical embraces are so important in life. At a time when many of us are apart from loved ones, it felt right to partner with Zalando to spread a message of optimism that we will hug again. These images are deeply personal to me and show moments I don't often share, but now is the time to be thankful for the great moments we've had and look forward to creating many more sometime soon."

Model and activist Munroe Bergdorf, who shared an image of a tender hug between herself and friend and model Billy, added: "My camera roll is full of so many gorgeous cuddles and hugs with family and friends that I was spoilt for choice. It's lovely to look back on past moments and know that, even while things can be challenging right now, we will create many more memories like these in the future. Our loved ones are our support systems, they allow us to feel seen, heard and understood. I'm going to miss seeing so many of them over the festive season but I know we have so many amazing times to come. I'm glad to be part of spreading a bit of positivity and part of a campaign that is helping support those that need human connection the most."

Natalie Wills, Global Director Social Media & Consumer PR remarked: "We're delighted that so many of the industry's most well-known faces have lent their voices to share this positive message. The images they've shared celebrate the beauty of human connection, and we want to inspire the feeling of hope and optimism in these challenging times. It was also important to us to use this campaign as another opportunity to give back to the community and the support Red Cross on their mission to bring connection and support to those that need it most during this period."  

#wewillhugagain

@Zalando 

Notes to editors:

Zalando's donation to the Red Cross for this campaign will total up to €100,000, which is on top of a further recent donation of €5m this year. 

For the User Content to class as a valid entry, it must fit the following criteria:

Content should be taken before COVID-19-related restrictions on personal contact.
It should demonstrate a past embrace ("memory of an embrace").
The social handle @Zalando must be correctly tagged in either the image or copy of the post.
The hashtag #WeWillHugAgain must be featured in the copy of the post.

Full terms and conditions here: https://zln.do/wewillhugagain

Watch 100 Years of Hugs campaign film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYLsVwlXj4g

About Zalando:

Zalando (https://corporate.zalando.com) is Europe's leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle. Founded in Berlin in 2008, we bring head-to-toe fashion to more than 35 million active customers in 17 markets, offering clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty. The assortment of international brands ranges from world-famous names to local labels. Our platform is a one-stop fashion destination for inspiration, innovation, and interaction. As Europe's most fashionable tech company, we work hard to find digital solutions for every aspect of the fashion journey: for our customers, partners and every valuable player in the Zalando story. Our goal is to become The Starting Point for Fashion and a sustainable platform with a net-positive impact for people and the planet.

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