Katharina Baron Frames Peter Cohen 2022 Winter Collection Alongside Contemporary Art

Director Katharina Baron recently helmed the 2022 winter campaign for luxury clothing brand Peter Cohen. The campaign marks the second collaboration between Baron and Peter Cohen, with the first featuring the brand’s pre-fall 2022 campaign. Over the course of his illustrious 30-year career, the Zimbabwe-born Cohen has dressed the likes of celebrities including Oprah, Barbra Streisand, and Sharon Stone.

This latest piece plays on the concept of the models as moving art – a nod to Cohen’s foray into the art world with the opening of his new SEIS Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Shot on location at the gallery, against the backdrop of artist Peter Lodato’s exhibition, the models don outfits from Cohen’s 2022 Winter Line. 

Baron worked closely with Cohen to curate the outfits featured in the film based on colors, pattern, and movement. She also provided the models with music references and direction – sometimes having them imagine themselves as a moving Mona Lisa and other times, bringing a more David Bowie energy, so there was variety within the film. 

“Working with Katharina on projects always involves a good measure of discovery,” enthuses Cohen. “And using the material we have in additional creative ways — in motion, with music, and sometimes in words, all to achieve a more vivid and valued record of the story we wish to tell. And her enthusiasm, an unusually rare quality, is invaluable.”

“It was such a lovely atmosphere on set, working with Peter and the models to create the visual interplay between their movements, the artwork, and lighting,” remarks Baron. 

Extending the moody sonic ambiance of the pre-fall campaign she directed, Baron underscored the film with a dramatic classical piano composition by DP Joseph Seif. 

“I tend to gravitate towards multifaceted filmmakers,” concludes Baron. “Their perspective working across different creative disciplines has a way of viscerally transforming a film; and in this case, Joseph’s music brought a certain rhythm and harmony that elevated the film. It was a true privilege collaborating with Peter, and creating a piece that not only captures his passion for art but also honours his legacy in fashion.”