Highsnobiety
Earlier this month, I watched Pierpaolo Piccioli — Valentino’s celebrated creative director and poetry aficionado — go live on Instagram with Koreen, the former model and photographer behind the wildly popular, feel-good IG page @werenotreallystrangers.
During a lengthy chat, the two discussed their new Valentino-branded deck of playing cards — a riff on Koreen’s best-selling card game of the same name that, through a series of thought-provoking questions and statements, aims to drive connection with others.
According to the Italian Maison, the livestream pulled in over 4.5 million viewers. On giant billboards, street signs, and hand-drawn on walls around the world, statements including “THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME WHEN I DIDN’T FEEL LOVABLE,” “You Deserve the Empathy You Give Others,” and “You’re Comparing Yourself Again. Stop That” were displayed, serving as promotional teasers for the partnership. Text on text on text.