Luxury fashion retailer Jigsaw has launched a bold new campaign hailing the necessity of immigration in defiance a growing anti-immigration rhetoric surrounding the Brexit negotiations.
To launch the campaign, the brand has taken over an entire section of Oxford Circus station in London, emblazoning it with its campaign manifesto.
In a take on its tagline “beautifully British since 1970”, the statement reads “British style is not 100 per cent British. In fact, there’s no such thing as ‘100 per cent British’.”
Fab new advertising campaign from U.K. retailer Jigsaw. #heartimmigration .Brave, clever and different. pic.twitter.com/3JWEtrsBwK
— Michael Murphy (@Michaelmurphypr) October 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/CharlotteOb1/status/917692060777541633
Despite prompted angry calls from customers within hours of its launch for getting too political, its creator Alex Kelly said he’d rather lose a few customers to show the retailer stood for something.
“The reality is that it’s not a political statement but… it is saying that as a brand we couldn’t do what we do without the immigration of people, ideas and culture,” Kelly told The Drum.
“And it’s to wave the flag for immigration, because it’s become a very negative word in the media.”
“We could have had a campaign that said ‘Heart Diversity’ and it would have been very nice and safe, but the whole point of using ‘immigration’ is that it jars and celebrates the positive aspects of it.”
Well done @InsideJigsaw This is what an ad campaign should look like.#HeartImmigration pic.twitter.com/XjWHu9A0N9
— Chris Shaw (@The_ChrisShaw) October 11, 2017
What a stupid thing to say, without immigration we'd be selling potato sacks. You lot never heard of trade or overseas investment?
— Dee Bee (@Wirralo) October 16, 2017
Celebrating diversity and challenging the meaning of 'British style', see @InsideJigsaw's new #HeartImmigration campaign. #PositiveFashion pic.twitter.com/1X6XFS0SIo
— BFC (@BFC) October 13, 2017
