Our Holiday 2019 Campaign, "Step Inside," sends a powerful message this season: Strength in femininity is worth celebrating, and we are doing so through bold movement, energy and dance.
To bring this concept to life, we turned to the medium of ballet — a harmonious balance of physical strength and effortless femininity — and one of its leading stars, the esteemed classical ballerina Misty Copeland, whose own career embodies the campaign’s theme of celebrating strength in femininity. Discovered as a dance prodigy at the age of 13, she became the first African-American woman promoted to principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre in 2015, which marked an evolution in the world of ballet.
“Being a ballerina, we’re not just dancers, we’re also athletes,” says Copeland. “You’re dancing in tulle. You look beautiful. And there is just this crazy power that maybe people don’t see.”
For the campaign, Copeland steps inside an SW shoebox wrapped in red ribbon and into a colorful, energetic fashion fantasy filled with the Stuart Weitzman Holiday 2019 Collection, signifying the surprise and delight that comes when opening the brand’s signature blue violet box.
Throughout the short film, her graceful twists and turns — choreographed by Copeland herself — demonstrate the comfort and ease of moving in SW shoes and the brand’s DNA of empowering women to conquer every step of their day by melding fashion, function and fit in each design.
The iconic ballerina, who has become synonymous with the holiday season thanks to her performances in the American Ballet Theatre's production of The Nutcracker, also shows off several of the brand’s iconic looks in “Step Inside.” She dances in both classics reimagined and new favorites alike, curated specifically for the season of gift-giving, festivities and more.
First, she twirls in styles from the BELLE INFINITY capsule, our new range of silhouettes defined by a geometric double buckle hardware accent that is destined to become iconic. These include the ANICIA slip-ons, SW’s modern take on the ballerina flat — available in a variety of enchanting colors, from chile red to foglia green to silver lamé — as well as the EMELIE clutch, the brand’s new must-have evening bag.
Then, she takes a spin in new styles from in the 5050.20 capsule. This lineup introduces the iconic dual-material 5050 back-stretch boot in a variety of limited-edition hues, including foglia green, chile red and cerulean blue. It also reinforces SW’s renewed focus on handbags with the debut of the 5050 BUCKET, which takes the brand’s signature mixed-material design to the next level in the form of a fashionable and functional bucket bag.