PRADA trades pixels for pencils this holiday season

PRADA is putting pencil to paper for the holidays, turning to traditional hand-drawn animation for its 2026 festive campaign.

Titled "Drawing Prada: Animated by hand", the campaign combines live action with illustrated animation to place its cast within whimsical winter scenes, with the fashion house positioning human craft and storytelling at the heart of the work.

The campaign stars PRADA ambassadors Chen Haoyu, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke and Kelvin Harrison Jr., alongside actor Luther Ford. In the hero film, the cast moves between real-life settings and illustrated worlds, bringing together fashion, performance and traditional animation.

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To create the campaign, PRADA worked with veteran animator John Pomeroy, whose career stretches back to the era of traditional pencil-and-paper animation. Rather than relying solely on contemporary digital techniques, the films draw on an analogue process in which scenes are illustrated by hand.

"I learned my craft with pencil and paper. Old school analogue drawing with pencil and paper," said Pomeroy in a behind-the-scenes film shared by PRADA.

The project also brought together a group of animators with backgrounds in traditional hand-drawn work. According to lead animator Tom Bancroft, Pomeroy "called the band back together", reuniting artists who had spent years working across different studios.

The approach gives PRADA's holiday campaign a deliberately nostalgic visual language while leaning into the imperfections and human touch of hand-made creative work. Its animated winter landscapes extend beyond the physical world, allowing the campaign's characters to move through scenes shaped largely by imagination.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

PRADA's hand-crafted approach comes as brands look for more distinctive ways to bring their festive campaigns to life beyond conventional holiday advertising. Earlier this month, The Christmas Atelier took its festive marketing beyond Marina Bay Sands with a month-long Downtown Line train activation, bringing its roster of local brands and artisans into commuters' everyday journeys.

Running until 14 November, the train features festive graphics and collectible keepsakes designed to build awareness ahead of The Christmas Atelier's return to Marina Bay Sands from 12 to 14 November. Founder of The Atelier & Co. Lelian Chew previously told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the decision to take the campaign onto Singapore's public transport network stemmed directly from this year's campaign theme.

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