Jacob Elordi Stars in Bottega Veneta’s Dreamy Campaign
Bottega Veneta launched a new campaign titled What Are Dreams, featuring Jacob Elordi and shot by renowned photographer and filmmaker Duane Michals. The black-and-white series was created at Michals’s New York home and explores the boundary between reality and fantasy, inspired by the artist's deep interest in surrealism.
Artistic Vision and Imagery
Through twelve striking images and a short film, Elordi appears in mysterious, dreamlike settings—often seen behind flowing curtains, in reflections through convex mirrors, or near a floating feather. These motifs are characteristic of Michals’s distinctive visual style.
“I’m very much interested in the realm of the invisible. My problem is, ‘how do I make the invisible visible?’ Of course, movie making is also a dream, and Frankenstein is a scary dream. Jacob understood exactly what I was trying to do with the project. He was right there for the magic and the mystery of it.” – Duane Michals
Poetic Elements
The campaign is titled after Michals’s 2001 poem, What Are Dreams, which the actor recites. The poem contemplates “the midnight movies of the mind…where things look familiar, but not at all the same.” Handwritten lines from the poem are woven throughout the visuals, enhancing the introspective atmosphere of the project.
Shared Pursuit
“Magic and mystery” is how Michals describes the collaboration, which blends text and photography to reveal the unseen and imagined.
Jacob Elordi’s presence brings to life Michals’s vision, inviting viewers into a surreal world where dreams unfold through evocative imagery and poetic reflection.
Author’s Summary
This campaign merges surreal art and fashion through Jacob Elordi and Duane Michals’s shared exploration of dreams, invisibility, and the poetic mysteries within.