Prada SS26: Inside the Jordan Wolfson Campaign in the Age of AI

Prada’s SS26 campaign, in collaboration with artist Jordan Wolfson, is different.

Wolfson is know for his provocative work in video, sculpture and animatronics (which you should definitely check out). In this campaign, his creatures hover, touch, and shadow a celebrity cast that includes Hunter Schafer and Carey Mulligan, in unsettling ways. Almost as if they are unnoticed by everyone except the viewer.

In the accompanying video, the models numbly repeat “I, I, I, I am.” At a time that AI can replicate, distort and copy human likeness with ease, that question of identity is uncomfortable. Who is the “I” speaking? What does it mean to own your own face when technology can so seamlessly recreate it?

Audience have also criticised the use of AI in the campaign. Though neither Wolfson nor Prada have confirmed what technology was used for his digitalised creatures.

Prada has framed this as an investigation into the ever-evolving role of the advertising campaign, and the outcome reflects that. This is less a campaign than a concept. Brands are no longer just selling you a bag, in fact in this campaign you barely notice the accessories or clothes; they’re selling you an idea, a mood, an question.