Cole Haan Launches «Prepare for take off»

Cole Haan, the iconic American lifestyle footwear and accessories brand, launches its campaign, “Prepare For Takeoff,” as part of the Fall 2015 collection. Set against the neo-futuristic backdrop of the TWA Flight Center, Cole Haan’s most innovative product to-date, ZerøGrand, soars this fall. The multi-channel digital and social campaign features three of New York City Ballet’s brightest stars—Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild and Gretchen Smith—alongside two renowned Parkour athletes. It puts the pillars of Cole Haan Grand.OS innovation—lightness, flexibility, and cushioning—to the ultimate test.

Set in Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen’s sweeping neo-futuristic ode to aviation, the iconic TWA Flight Center in Queens, “Prepare For Takeoff” collides forms of traditional dance movement with a modern type of skilled athleticism: Parkour.

“Cole Haan has a rich heritage of innovation. With the introduction of ZerøGrand, Grand.OS and the opening of The Global Innovation Center, we decided to explore how we could celebrate Cole Haan Innovation through movement,” says David Maddocks, Chief Marketing Officer & GM of Business Development at Cole Haan. “Cole Haan was a 34 year old company when Saarinen’s terminal first opened in 1962. As a leading maker of American dress and casual footwear at that time, there’s no doubt Cole Haan has made its way through that terminal many times before. So, we’d like to think of this as a return trip,” Maddocks concluded.

“As the choreographer, the location was a dream of inspiration! The beauty and divine artistry of the structure naturally invited the curves, lines and angles of movement. The classic beauty of the clothing and footwear was the perfect cherry on top to create an epic image that takes your breath away,” shares the extraordinary choreographer Tamara Levinson, who was tapped for the shoot.

Photographer Sebastian Kim, adds, “I’ve always wanted to shoot at this iconic location—it’s such a landmark which perfectly complimented the campaign.”

New York City Ballet Principal dancer, Sara Mearns, adds, “This season, we worked with Cole Haan to create something totally new—the ZerøGrand Stagedoor Ballet Flat. We took great care in incorporating design elements into the silhouettes through a different lens specifically for the campaign. It really challenged the whole cast to think of how creatively we could bring lightness, flexibility and cushioning to life visually with our movement. I have never been more proud of something and hope all women wearing our shoe feel the same life-lifting experience that we do!”

The campaign goes far beyond still imagery, and includes a behind the scenes look at how the cast takes their experience with these elements from studio to street. It will be featured on ColeHaan.com, in digital media and across the brand’s social channels of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumbler, YouTube as well as on the Cole Haan iPhone App, which was recently lauded for its integration of ApplePay.

Cole Haan LLC, with its Global Headquarters in Greenland, New Hampshire and Creative Center in New York City, is an iconic American lifestyle accessories brand and retailer of premium men’s, women’s and children’s footwear, handbags, leather accessories, outerwear and eyewear. Cole Haan stands for its commitment to craftsmanship, timeless style and design innovation.