Richard Burbridge and Lacey behind River Island’s campaign against social labels

High street fashion chain River Island has launched its SS18 collection with a campaign tackling social labels by Studio Blvd, titled Labels Are For Clothes. Enlisting renowned fashion photographer Richard Burbridge and director Lacey for the vibrant and joyful campaign visuals, the agency aimed to “raise awareness of the outdated and irrelevant labels people are given” with a diverse and inclusive message.

The campaign plays on the washing instructions found on standard clothing labels, with one model and body confidence activist appearing with the tagline “Do Not Shrink”; a gay couple with the line “Do Not Separate”; and a non binary model with the phrase “100% Gender Free”. According to the studio, the cast were found from around the world and all have suffered at the hands of negative labels.

“Gender labels, cultural labels, racial labels, political labels, LGBTQIAP+ labels have been dominating cultural conversations in the UK and beyond,” says Blvd’s Alistair Green. “We encouraged River Island to join the conversation and celebrate the individual in their own unique way, using the tongue-in-cheek lingo of laundry labels sewn in their garments.”