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A spotlight on people who inspire others by doing what they are passionate about.

Behind The Campaign: Wrangler's 'Free To Discover'

“Shining a light on people who inspire others by doing what they are passionate about.”

Introducing ‘Free to Discover’, the latest instalment under the ‘Freedom’ campaign by Wrangler.

A message celebrating those who are curious, who create, who use their voice, who are on the road to discovery and those who are fearless of being themselves, ‘Freedom’ embodies individual expression and what each passion means to them. It’s a feel good campaign uniting everyone from the everyday individual to the famous faces around the globe alongside the premium crafted denim we all know Wrangler do so well.

This time around, the team have linked up with musicians, Ocean Alley as the featured talent to give an Aussie message to their loyal followers. Captured through the lens of photographers Tyler Bell and Kane Lehanneur, Wrangler take us to the shores of Portugal highlighting the latest range with nostsalgic summer backdrops.

Shop the latest here and keep scrolling to learn more about the industry leader’s latest campaign with Kimberly Frittum, Australia’s Head of Marketing.

 

Thanks for catching up! Can you give us a rundown of who you are and your position at Wrangler?
No worries! Sure, I’m Kimberly Frittum, Head of Marketing for Wrangler Australia and NZ.

Lets talk all about the new campaign! Can you tell us more about it and the key messages and styles involved?
At the start of this year we launched our Freedom campaign – the essence of the Wrangler brand in a single word. Free to Discover (Ocean Alley in Portugal) was born from the excitement of discovering somewhere new. None of the crew or talent had been to Portugal, and it definitely met the bands’ only pre-requisite of sun & sea. The collection was designed with a strong influence of nostalgic summer holidays. If you think back to early 80s milk bars and fish and chip shops, bare feet, melted ice creams and long days in the ocean you’ve got it. We took our latest sun bleached and destroyed denim, vintage inspired souvenir tees and lightweight party shirts with us on a holiday, on the hunt for beaches, delicious food, and a little bit of mystery.

Where was it all shot?
We shot between Lisbon and Lagos in Portugal. We basically spent a week exploring, and captured content along the way – from alleyway bars, to cliff tops, to beaches and retro chic accommodation.

Wrangler seems to always be a leader when it comes to choosing amazing locations to shoot your campaigns. How did the choice come about this time around and what was the factor that really drew you to it?
Thank you! With so many amazing places to see, it’s always hard to choose a destination. Ocean Alley were on their way to tour Europe, so we were looking for somewhere in that part of the world. We needed a location that was diverse, coastal and a little rough and rugged. We’d heard amazing things from friends who’d travelled to Portugal, and after a quick google and insta stalk we were sucked in by the rocky coastline of Algarve, and the promise of amazing Portuguese tarts.

Who were the talent and how do they reflect Wrangler’s brand message and values?
We’ve had a relationship with Ocean Alley for a few years now and we knew they were the perfect fit for this campaign. With their vintage surf aesthetic, infectious energy and heaps of lol moments we knew we’d have a good time. Oh, and they also have a song called ‘Holiday’, haha. I met Vivian Kim in LA earlier this year, and not only fell in love with her photography style – so effortless and Cali cool, but also her personality. We had the funniest time doubling up on ‘Bird’ Scooters in Venice (if you haven’t tried these you need to!) and I knew she was the perfect fit for this. And we’d been wanting to shoot with Summer for ages, she’s always smiling and making us laugh, and radiates this freedom to be unapologetically yourself.

What about the other key individuals involved with bringing it to life?
Tyler and Kane from The Sauce were absolutely incredible in bringing the shoot to life. They know the boys in the band so well, and read the cues of when to shoot and when patience was thinning. I love their creative eye, enthusiasm and youthful lens. They are also very fun to be around. Alana Holmes, our Hair and Make up artist was a dream to have on the shoot and helped it run smoothly. The days were really long, but she was always the first one up with a smile, ready to go all over again. Mike from Cactus House Agency came along for the ride, and was a huge help as our personal breakfast chef, tour guide, espresso maker and mood bringer. And our marketing team - Amy Kristlayn and Liz Lopez helped make the magic. Pre-shoot & on set coordination, and of course the huge job of pulling the campaign and travel tips guide together post shoot.

How was the down time spent after a long day of shooting?
There was definitely some blurred lines between shooting and downtime on this trip! In Lisbon we found some awesome alleyway bars, and in Lagos we spent time at the beach and hung out at our accom pools, which weren’t too far from town. With a crew of 16 we were the party, so it didn’t matter where we went! I’m pretty sure the boys snuck off to a party one night while we were busy steaming clothes…

Sounds like with the work, there was certainly a little bit of play. Give us some of the highlights from the Euro trip! Food, roadtrips, parties and more!
The dynamic between the boys is hilarious to watch, they egg each other on and make something out of nothing which is so funny. They make music together, live together and hang out pretty much everyday so they know each other really well. And definitely know how to razz each other up! One of the funniest things I’ve seen is Baden legging it to the water in one of our Womens one piece swimmers. His bag didn’t make it to Portugal, so he spent most of the week in our samples and Mike’s boardies. On this particular day the only spare swimmers available was the Wrangler one piece… so he went for it. There was a lot of fun – from rock jumping, to pool time, to watching Alana work her eyelash curler on the boys, and laughing at Mitch trying to stuff the last few rolls of all you can eat Sushi into his pockets. Never a dull moment!