Alexander Wang has sparked confusion with a new video campaign starring “lookalikes” of Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Kylie Jenner, and Beyonce.
The luxury streetwear brand recently dropped an ad for its Ricco bag, but the company has raised eyebrows for who it tapped to star in the campaign. In the clip, which was shared on the Alexander Wang Instagram account, an impersonator for the “Thank U, Next” singer is seen unboxing the Ricco bag.
The ad cuts to several other impersonators, such as a lookalike of Swift and the Kylie Cosmetics founder, followed by a Beyoncé impersonator. The celebrity lookalikes each filmed themselves showing off the black crossbody bag, which features a studded bottom and “Alexander Wang” logo embossed strap.
“100 per cent certified authentic,” the official Instagram account for Alexander Wang captioned the video campaign.
While the ad seemingly intended to be a commentary on knockoff fashion, fans couldn’t help but focus on the “Uncanny Valley” appearance of each celebrity impersonator.
“I’m scared,” one person commented.
“This makes me so uncomfortable!!!!” another user said. “I’ll have nightmares about the Ariana Grande double.”
Some people expressed their concerns that the ad might upset real-life celebrities, like Swift and Beyoncé, as one person wrote on X: “If I were any of these celebrities I’d be so offended.”
“I think celebrities should be able to sue for ads like this,” another fan claimed on X.
However, others believed that the video was a “genius” marketing stunt, like one user who commented: “Give this team a raise.”
“This is absolute genius marketing,” said someone else.
This isn’t the first time a fashion brand has divided opinion over the use of celebrity impersonators in ad campaigns. In September 2019, Grande sued Forever 21 for $10m after using a “lookalike” model in a social media advertisement. In the lawsuit, Grande’s attorneys claimed that the fashion retailer sought to trick customers into thinking she had endorsed the brand by using the model who looked “strikingly similar” to her.
The filing cited a post from Forever 21’s Instagram account, in which the “lookalike model” wore her brunette hair in a slicked back high ponytail, similar to Grande in the music video for “7 Rings”.
The caption also echoed lyrics from the track – “Gee thanks, just bought it” – and asked viewers to “shop our favorite trend”. In another post, the model wore camouflage capris and pink stilettos, encouraging customers to “swipe up to shop.”
“The resemblance is uncanny and Forever 21’s intent was clear: to suggest to the viewing public that Ms Grande endorsed Forever 21, its products, and was affiliated with Forever 21,” the filing said.
Forever 21 disputed the allegations in the lawsuit, and the case was later settled for an undisclosed amount.
