Unpacking the 'Bold, Uncanny, and Weirdly Elegant' World of Browns Shoes

For many, the summer of 2025 feels like it’s blown by. Already, nearly half of August has passed, which means back-to-school season is once again here. Parents are prepping their kids for the new academic year, young adults are finalising their class selection for fall, and savvy brands are starting to vie for a piece of the action, enticing buyers with goods that’ll surely kickstart the semester in the best way possible.

In Canada, footwear retailer Browns Shoes has left its category mark early this year, coming to market last week with a new campaign directed by Les Enfants’ Le GED. Created in partnership with Harrison Fun Studio, the work, headlined by a 105-second spot, is weird and wonderful… in the best way possible. Set in what the director describes as an ‘oneiric world’ that slams together Baroque and postmodern elements, the film depicts an array of models frolicking in and around a mansion, bathing in,vacuuming up and even cooking an assortment of shoes. Ramping up the absurdity in every scene, this visually-striking, unexpected creative work is a smart, strategic way to cut through by drawing attention to the Browns brand at a time when many are emphasising sale prices and economic value, above all else.

LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt wanted to know about the creative process that shaped this footwear retailer’s back-to-school campaign, which is why she sat down with Le GED for a chat.

LBB> What was the brief for this project, and why was this something you were keen to be involved in?

Le GED> It was literally just a line: ‘Back to school, back to reality’. Super simple, but that’s what made it exciting.

Right away, I saw it as a launchpad to mess with the idea of reality – to make the work feel dreamlike, heightened, and almost surreal. Browns gave us the freedom to push it, and I was in right away. I love projects where I can shape the world. That’s the kind of playground I run toward.

LBB> It sounds like you played an important role in shaping the creative direction of the work. What was this process like? How did you work with Harrison Fun Studio to help hone in on the concept?

Le GED> I kicked it off with the concept – the world, the tone, the surreal logic and the story. Then, Harrison Fun came in and fed the fire. The team would throw in wild details, sharp visuals, little twists that made the whole thing pop. It wasn’t a back-and-forth; it was a build-up, brick by brick, beat by beat. Everyone was chasing the same feeling: weird, stylish, and just ‘off’ enough to feel fresh.

LBB> From here, what was the planning process like? At what point did you know it would be feasible to bring such a wild world of shoes to life, and how did things come together during the pre-production phase?

Le GED> From the jump, it was chaos by design – a full-blown shoe universe. But once the tone clicked, I knew it’d fly. The logic was surreal, but airtight.

Pre-production became a war room. There were storyboards, lookbooks, prop lists – every frame had a reason to exist. From wardrobe, to art, to camera, everyone was locked in. It wasn’t ‘Can we pull this off?’, it was ‘How far can we push it?’. That’s when you know you’ve got something.

LBB> The set design is brilliant! How did you capture and successfully fuse Baroque and postmodern aesthetics into your filming location?

Le GED> I wanted the set to feel like a character: bold, dramatic, a little unhinged. Baroque gave us the grandeur, postmodern gave us the twist. It created that visual tension we were after.

Big shout-out to Kenny Dorvil (1st AC). He got it instantly and ran with it. He made the impossible look effortless.

LBB> How did you find the right people to bring everything to life? Were there certain qualities you were looking for during the casting process?

​Le GED> I was looking for models… but not just for the look. They needed acting chops – presence, timing, the ability to hold a frame and make it breathe. In a surreal world like this, expression was everything.

The same actually went for the crew. Every department head was cast, just like the talent. Some were long-time partners, and others were brought in for a very specific skill set. However, everyone had a reason to be there.

LBB> What was the actual filming process like? Where did you shoot, how long did it take, and do you have any anecdotes from the experience?

Le GED> We shot everything in two days. It was a full blitz in a location called Black Swan Manor in Châteauguay, Quebec. The setup was tight but super controlled – every room had to morph into a new scene, and with it, a new vibe.

The manor itself was wild – beautiful, but chaotic. We had to pull down nearly 20 ceiling lights just to clear the frame! The place had layers… let’s just say we found a few things tucked in corners that can’t be described here.

LBB> What sort of equipment did you use to capture everything, and what inspired your decisions?

Le GED> We shot on the Sony Venice, paired with vintage Canon SK rangefinder glass. That combo gave us high-resolution clarity with just the right amount of character.

In terms of inspiration, I wanted the image to feel elevated, but never too polished. Alexandre Nour, our cinematographer, nailed that balance. We kept the setup simple: dolly, zoom, slider, that’s it. It wasn’t about showing off the gear, it was about pacing, framing, and letting the world breathe in its own weird way.

LBB> Certain sequences, like vacuuming up shoes, shoes falling from walls, or the shoe which flies out the window, are hilarious! How did you bring these more absurd scenes to life, and were any especially challenging?

Le GED> I like sneaking in moments that feel slightly off… just enough to tilt the world and crack a smile. Those uncanny beats are part of my signature.

The vacuum scene was the trickiest. To make it happen, we built custom rigs with fishline, rigged objects on cue, shot multi-pass plates for clean removal, then stitched it all together in post with precise compositing.

LBB> Speaking of post, did you have a hand in the process? If so, how did you ensure it not only matched the selected soundtrack, but hit your intended aesthetic aims?

Le GED> Yes, I was deeply involved in the post process – hands-on the cut. That’s where the pacing locks in, and where the film’s uncanny personality really shows up.

Going in, I knew the picture and the track had to move like a dance – not just hitting beats, but breathing together. So, we pushed and pulled the rhythm, and let moments hang or snap hard. That’s where the uncanny creeps in: the space between the frames

LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?

Le GED> We had a one-day budget for a two-day shoot. There was no wiggle room, no overtime… And we were sharing the set with the photo team, so it was a constant hustle, jumping between setups, grabbing shots on the fly.

Really, the clock was brutal. But the client was fully briefed and backed us the whole way. The team trusted the vision, and that made all the difference. Every shot was planned like a heist – in and out, with no time to second-guess.

LBB> As part of this, what lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?

Le GED> Trust your gut, and over-plan like hell. This project reminded me that even the most surreal ideas need structure to land. When time and budget are tight, precision is everything.

Also, surround yourself with killers. Every department brought its A-game, and that’s what saved us when the clock started squeezing in. Controlled chaos – that’s the sweet spot.

LBB> Finally, are there any elements of the project you’re particularly proud of? And why?

Le GED> The world-building, for sure. We didn’t just shoot shoes; we built a universe around them. I’m proud we made something that feels bold, uncanny, and weirdly elegant (all on a tight budget and tighter schedule). Every frame has a pulse. You can’t quite explain it, but it lingers. And that’s the point.