TikTok Star and Train Fanatic Francis Bourgeois Fronts Gucci x North Face 'Highsnobiety' Campaign

Director Tom Dream and Black Dog Films are behind the new film launching the second chapter of the Gucci x North Face collaboration. 

The campaign from Highsnobiety features TikTok star and trainspotter, Francis Bourgeois. As TikTok’s breakout star of 2021, Francis gained over two million followers for his eccentric and joyful GoPro trainspotting films. And Francis’ unbridled passion' for trains, love for the outdoors, and self-embracing attitude, made him a perfect fit for Gucci x North Face’s new collection which focuses on exploration and the outdoors.  

Directed by Black Dog's Tom Dream, who previously collaborated with Arlo Parks on her directorial debut for Gucci, the campaign sees Francis live out his dream as a train conductor in an idealised version of a train journey through the picturesque Alps, as Francis and his co-travellers adorn The North Face x Gucci collection.  

Every part of the production process was focused on creating a sense of gentle chaos, from casting, art, and movement direction to creating a bespoke music composition out of synthesised train sounds. 

“This was a dream collaboration, to have the opportunity to channel the endless joy and charisma of Francis Bourgeois (train enthusiast/ national treasure) into a whimsical Alpine world featuring the new range of The North Face x Gucci collection” said director Tom Dream. “Josh Wilson at High Snobiety was the most open minded creative I’ve worked with and gave me the freedom to explore new ideas and possibilities from the development stages right through to the edit and sound design.”