
Inside the BY KATIA Campaign
What we’ll cover
Old Wisdom, New Ritual: Inside By Katia’s Launch Campaign
You’re invited behind the scenes to discover every meaningful detail within our very first campaign.
Introducing a new beauty brand to the world might seem relatively straightforward… but what if everything it represents is tied to the very essence of its origins? If you’re BY KATIA co-founders, Erika and Katia Ascenzo, you find a way to weave it into every detail to evoke a shared feeling, an ethos and an understanding passed down through generations.
For the brand’s launch campaign, both mother and daughter wanted to pay homage to BY KATIA’s central philosophy; the passage of ‘old wisdom’ becoming a ‘new ritual’. From the silk styling to the special meaning behind Nonna’s linen to the transportive location, loving hints of heritage ran like a thread through each moment.
The setting
“The scent we created for the Cleansing Oil was truly formed on the basis to transport you, so we felt we owed it to our brand to create a campaign that could visually transport you too. We hoped the consumer would feel as though they’d been whisked away to Italy, via the location and settings they are seeing play out on their screens,” says Erika, in a nod to her family’s Italian roots. “We wanted it to feel old world, almost cinematic and to evoke warmth; a reflection of the ways in which we chose and created our branding, packaging and typography.”
The souls
When it came to choosing the people within the campaign, Erika and Katia wanted each to represent the feeling of BY KATIA. Both in and out of each shot, there was love and special meaning captured within each frame. “It was having my amazing brother – and my mother seeing her son – Marten Ascenzo creative direct this shoot and visually bring it to life, with his best friend, the astounding Benjamin Morgan, beside him,” recalls Erika.
Linen from Erika’s Nonna was present on set and seen in each shot, as an ode to the careful details that run throughout the By Katia brand. The pair’s “dear friend and incredible creator”, Romy Bennie of Romy Bennie Silk, worked to “dress and drape our chosen souls in her handmade, sustainable silk collection”, while Erika’s friends Annie Rose of Annie Rose Artistry and Karen Bicchierai worked magic on the makeup and hair on the campaign faces, Georgina, Alejandra and Laura.
Laura in particular had been an integral part of the brand’s story, as one of Erika’s closest friends and Katia’s adopted daughter. “Over a very special Easter Lunch in Byron, Laura not only backed us with the most remarkable, supportive and insightful words but she offered up this moment where we felt lucky enough to ask her to be a part of our campaign,” explains Erika. “This was met with such love and support, and to this day she and her amazing husband Dalton Henshaw are two of our biggest cheerleaders and supporters. Laura lended her time, her heart and her magical sparkle to us to bring this campaign and the brand to life.”
The spirit
Thinking back on one of the biggest days a new brand can have, Erika and Katia remember realising that all of their ideas and hopes had finally become real. “From waking to falling dead asleep that night, everything felt like a true and utter dream. However we both feel it was the split second moments, when Laura, Georgina and Alejandra first put the brush in their hand and the cleansing oil on their body and seeing their true, authentic and beautiful reactions, that made everything feel real.”
The campaign doubled as a love letter to family, with Marten quietly guiding his sister and mother through the shoot with love, patience and attention. As Erika adds, “By Katia has truly come to life because of one man – my father and Mum’s beautiful husband, Silvio Ascenzo. He has given us all that we could ever need and it is because of him that the wheels continued to turn. His love and support is unwavering – to him, we are eternally grateful.”
It’s this spirit that Erika and Katia hope will translate beyond visuals and be experienced by everyone that connects with the BY KATIA brand. As for what’s next, Erika says, “Look out for a collection of souls… a handful of amazing women coming together to talk about their rituals, their crafts and their love note that they are leaving on this world!”.
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