A Campaign with Character
There are models, and then there are people who bring something else entirely to a campaign. Milan Borich is firmly in the latter camp. Frontman of iconic New Zealand rock band Pluto, he has the kind of presence, character and effortless cool that can’t really be styled into existence.
It makes him an inspired choice for Crane Brothers’ latest campaign, bringing a distinctive energy to the imagery and a sense of personality that goes well beyond the clothes. For us, the result is one of Crane Brothers’ most distinctive and memorable campaigns to date.
Borich has been part of New Zealand’s musical landscape for more than two decades. Pluto emerged around the turn of the millennium, eventually moving from student-radio favourites to one of the country’s most recognisable alternative rock bands. Their 2005 album Pipeline Under the Ocean went double platinum, with songs including Long White Cross and Dance Stamina becoming defining tracks of the era. Borich has remained active within New Zealand music ever since, both as a songwriter and performer, while Pluto returned with their fourth album, IV, in 2019.
It is precisely that history that makes him such an interesting choice for Crane Brothers.
Rather than casting a traditional model, the campaign gives us someone with presence, personality and a face many New Zealanders will immediately recognise. Borich has character. He has personal style. Most importantly, he looks entirely himself in the clothes. There is a confidence and lived-in quality to the imagery that is difficult to manufacture with conventional casting.
For those less familiar with Crane Brothers, the Auckland-founded menswear house has long occupied a distinctive position within New Zealand fashion. Founded by Murray Crane, the brand is synonymous with beautifully considered tailoring and a modern approach to classic menswear, bringing together suiting, shirting, knitwear, footwear and accessories with an emphasis on craftsmanship, longevity and personal style. It has also become a go-to for weddings and special occasions, offering a more considered and individual approach to occasion dressing, whether bespoke, made-to-measure or ready-to-wear.
This latest campaign feels like an evolution of that language.
Crane Brothers – A Retrospective
Styled by Karen Inderbitzen-Waller, with floral elements by Fiona Hughes, the imagery has a wonderful tension between refinement and unexpectedness. Oversized lilies enter the frame almost as characters themselves, bringing scale, softness and a slightly surreal quality to the set. Against them sits Borich, his distinctive presence bringing an effortless sense of character and edge to the imagery. We love the result.
There is something refreshing about a menswear campaign that isn’t simply asking us to look at a beautifully dressed man. Instead, it gives us a personality. Someone with history, creativity and cultural resonance wearing the collection in a way that feels believable.
For Together Journal, it is one of our favourite Crane Brothers campaigns to date. The combination of Milan, the styling and those extraordinary lilies gives the collection a world of its own, while the decision to cast a recognisable New Zealand creative rather than a conventional model brings another layer entirely.
So naturally, we wanted to ask Murray Crane how it all came together.
Let’s start with the collection itself. What are the key ideas behind this season, and are there particular pieces, silhouettes, fabrics or details that you feel really define where Crane Brothers is right now?
There is usually one cloth or one piece that sets everything off. This season it was the snakeskin suit, the Corvo, cut from a python-print jacquard from Caccioppoli in Naples. Once we had it, the rest of the collection fell into place. It is bold, but it is still a suit, and the jacket works just as well on its own. Around it are pieces like the Savoy shawl collar jacket in wool, silk and linen, and the Visconti trouser in violet and teal gabardine. What we try to be is independent, brave and free-thinking. And, I hope, never mediocre.
How did you want the campaign to bring that collection to life? The oversized lilies are such a strong and unexpected element, giving the imagery an almost surreal quality. What feeling or world were you hoping to create around the clothes?
Karen and I have worked together for more than twenty years, from our early shows at Fashion Week through to many of our campaigns. She is one of my closest friends, and given how often we bang heads, we obviously have a great working relationship. We understand each other without needing to say much. The brief is usually very loose, often just a reference. I have complete faith in what she brings. The lilies were her world, brought to life by Fiona. They are beautiful and slightly too big, and next to them the tailoring feels grounded and real. The credit really belongs to them.
Milan Borich feels like such an inspired choice for the campaign. Where did the idea to cast Milan come from, and what about him felt particularly right for Crane Brothers and this particular collection?
Karen and I talked about who could carry this collection, and Milan came up almost immediately. He has a quality you cannot cast for. He is completely at ease with himself, and you can see a creative life in his face and in how he carries himself. We were lucky to have him. He wears the clothes rather than models them.
There is something quite different about casting someone with an established personality and creative history rather than a traditional fashion model. What do you think Milan brings to the imagery, and did having that existing character in front of the camera change the way you approached the campaign?
It is not new for us. Music has always been part of our DNA, going back to the early Little Brother days and our relationship with Flying Nun. Over the years we have been fortunate to dress people like Tim Finn, Jordan Luck, Lawrence Arabia and Shayne Carter, and Milan sits naturally in that company. He was not playing a role. We gave him the clothes and tried to keep out of his way, and the pictures are more honest for it.
Crane Brothers has always had a strong point of view around tailoring and occasion dressing, but menswear continues to become more relaxed and individual. How is that evolution reflected in this collection, and how do you see these pieces being worn for weddings, celebrations and occasions now?
Special occasion dressing remains at the core of what we do. What has changed is how men want to wear it. They want to look their best without feeling like they are in costume. There is still a place for a peak lapel tuxedo or an ivory dinner jacket, but the rules are looser now. A shawl collar jacket with violet trousers and a cotton silk polo is right for an evening wedding, and the Corvo suit is made for a celebration. Our view has always been the same. Buy well, have it fit properly, and make it your own.
For more information, visit crane-brothers.com and @cranebrothers
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