For the launch of the new luxury fashion brand Penelope, Pathfinder Studios produced a complete campaign on a single shoot day: a 30-second commercial, seven social media reels, a web banner video and 51 model and product photos for the online shop. It took four weeks from idea to delivery. The goal: to give a brand with no history and no well-known name the value that customers in the luxury segment expect – right from the start.
How do you launch a luxury brand that nobody knows? This case study shows how a clear concept, a well-practised team and focused direction created desire for a collection the target audience had never seen before.
The project at a glance
| Client | Penelope Clothing, luxury fashion e-commerce |
| Campaign | Drop 01, spring 2025 |
| Scope | Commercial, social media reels, web banner video, model and product photography |
| Timeframe | 4 weeks, 1 shoot day |
| Director | Tom Wolt |
| Production | Ivy Thomas |
| Camera and photography | Thomas Adolph |
| Hair & make-up | Sarah-Lena Kreuter |
Who is Penelope?
Penelope is a young fashion label positioned in the premium segment with exclusive, limited drops. The brand speaks to a new generation of luxury customers who value personality and special pieces over fast-moving trends.
What is the challenge when launching a new luxury brand?
A new luxury brand has no history and no well-known name to justify the price. Images and film have to do that work. Penelope had excellent products that could hold their own against the big names in the industry. But the brand itself was a blank canvas.
The craftsmanship and limited exclusivity of luxury brands. Just without the history.
A new brand isn’t implausible – it’s just unknown. So the point wasn’t to prove it existed, but to give it the value customers in the high-end market expect, right from the start. Our task: develop the entire visual identity from scratch and build hype for the limited launch. The client’s goals were clear:
- Give the brand emotional appeal: the name Penelope was to be instantly associated with desire, confidence and exclusivity.
- Visibly justify the premium price: material and craftsmanship had to look so convincing that the luxury price felt right from the outset.
- Build hype for the launch: with a fixed launch date and limited quantities, the campaign had to create buzz and urgency.
All in four weeks and on a start-up budget. There was no room for error.
How do you produce a complete fashion campaign on one shoot day?
With careful preparation and a well-practised core team, a complete campaign of commercial, reels, model photos and product photos can be shot in one day without compromising on quality. For Penelope, we completed the entire multi-format shoot in a single, smooth day: a hero commercial, social media cuts, model shots for the shop and elaborate ghost mannequin product photography.
This was possible thanks to our core team of director Tom Wolt, photographer and camera operator Thomas Adolph and make-up artist Sarah-Lena Kreuter, led by producer Ivy Thomas. It saved the client time and money. Instead of stretching the budget, we could invest it specifically in the elements that convey luxury without words: authenticity and aesthetics.
The concept: “The embodiment of desire”
Showing beautiful clothes wouldn’t have been enough. Our creative approach focused on a feeling: the quiet confidence, the comfort and the cultivated strength of wearing something truly special. Viewers shouldn’t just want the clothes – they should want the feeling Penelope conveys.
The casting: faces that embody the brand
In an intensive casting process, we looked for models who wouldn’t just present the product but embody the brand’s DNA. On set, director Tom Wolt relied on sustained eye contact and natural, relaxed moments that captivate the viewer.
Location and light: soft luxury in a daylight studio
We shot in an industrial daylight studio. This saved effort on lighting and set dressing and created a clear, minimalist aesthetic. Soft sunlight and a warm, cream-coloured palette shape the entire look. This airy, high-quality feel makes the clothing itself the star.
Campaign-level details
Detail shots of the materials, a carefully chosen set and first-class hair & make-up create the feel of a campaign by a major fashion house.
With a new luxury brand, you can’t rely on a logo – you have to create a feeling. Our energy went into the directing, to build a tangible connection between model and camera. Viewers should feel the quality, not just see it.
– Tom Wolt, Marketingberater & Regisseur
The brief was: “A Saint Laurent look on a start-up budget”. The project proves that a first-class result is less a question of money than of trusting an experienced film production company that knows what matters. In this case: perfect casting, an easily controllable location and an excellent styling and camera team.
– Ivy Thomas, Marketingberaterin & Filmproduzentin
What did the campaign deliver?
One shoot day produced 60 assets for the web, social media and the online shop. The launch of the “Drop 01” collection established Penelope as a serious new brand in the premium segment.
- 1 hero commercial, 30 seconds, in 16:9 and 9:16
- 7 social media reels, 15 seconds each, in 16:9 and 9:16
- 1 web banner video without sound
- 44 high-resolution model photos for the online shop
- 7 high-resolution ghost mannequin product photos
But the most important result was the client’s reaction. The imagery was so convincing that Penelope felt ready to make its mark on the market. Even before the first collection launched, we were already talking about the second.
I was honestly speechless when I saw the videos for the first time. The team was great and did a really good job.
– Baran Maktay, owner of Penelope
What other brands can learn from the project
- Feeling beats logo. A brand without name recognition sells through emotion. That’s why the budget should go into concept, casting and directing first.
- Efficiency comes from preparation. One shoot day is enough if the shot list, schedule and team are in place. That saves costs without cutting quality.
- Plan all formats in one shoot. If you plan the commercial, reels and shop photos together, you get a consistent visual language across all channels and only pay for the team and studio once.
Find out more about how we position brands with moving images on our brand communication page. Our guide corporate film production explains how commercials, product videos and corporate films differ and what they cost.
Our services in this project
Commercial and reels
- Concept and idea
- Script, scene plan, storyboard
- Direction and studio shoot
- Model casting and booking
- Post-production: editing, colour grading, sound design
- Motion graphics, visual effects, text overlays
- Formats and adaptations for all channels
Fashion photography
- Model photography for the online shop (full-length, portrait, details)
- Ghost mannequin product images for the online shop
- Visual concept, on-set styling, retouching
- Delivery in web and print quality
More about Penelope: visit the online shop
Frequently asked questions about fashion commercials
Let’s talk about your campaign
Are you planning a brand launch or a new collection and want film and photography from a single source? In a free initial consultation, we clarify goals, formats and budget – with no obligation and as equal partners.
Or contact Yvonne Schwalowski directly: +49 2251 773 99 66, office@pathfinder-studios.de
