Hideous Luxury unpacks the weight of "emotional baggage" in new campaign

Celebrating imperfections in life as in leather, Hideous Luxury, the luxury leather bag brand, has unveiled a campaign embracing the idea that we all carry some "baggage."

The campaign, created by the Titus Upputuru Company, features a three-minute film that tells the story of a father overwhelmed with grief and confusion after the mysterious loss of his son.

The film opens in a fancy restaurant where the father orders a seagull sandwich. Upon seeing the sandwich, he begins to sob uncontrollably. Curious, the waiter who served him speaks to a senior colleague, who explains that the man had lost his young son on an island under strange circumstances. That night, the island's inhabitants served him what they claimed was seagull meat. However, upon returning to the city and ordering the same sandwich at the restaurant, he realises the taste is completely different from what he had on the island.

The film then cuts to a young waiter who horrifyingly connects the dots, realising that the father might have been fed his own son’s flesh. The father has been living with this guilt ever since.

Subsequent scenes show the father trying to purge his guilt in the restroom, standing by a pool at night contemplating self-harm, playing hide and seek, and walking his imaginary son home. The film concludes with the tagline, “We are all carrying some baggage. What are you carrying?”

The film features a full-grain green tote bag, symbolically present alongside the father throughout his ordeal.

Titus Upputuru, the film's director, explains, "The bag we carry is a metaphor for all that we carry within ourselves. The film portrays a man burdened with a past he cannot shake off. Scars are integral to our brand's identity, and we chose to tell a story deeply marked by such a scar.”

The campaign is currently active across various digital platforms.

Campaign's take: The film is visually-striking but very puzzling. While it effectively communicates the theme of carrying "emotional baggage", its overall purpose remains unclear. The choice to incorporate cannibalism is particularly jarring and insufficiently explored, which is notable given the ongoing ethical debates surrounding leather products. There's a missed opportunity to draw a deeper analogy here. It’s commendable how the campaign celebrates authenticity and the beauty of imperfections, but the link between these themes and the featured bag is tenuous.

The actual visual craftsmanship is impressive, yet the connection to the product should be more apparent, especially when marketing an emotive luxury item. While the aesthetics are excellent—with outstanding colour grading and tones—the film’s message may confuse potential buyers. It's uncertain whether this is an intricate metaphor that’s going unnoticed or if it simply misses the mark in representing the product it intends to promote. Either way, we'd like to know.

CREDITS

Produced by: The Titus Upputuru Company
Director: Titus Upputuru
Producer: Raoul Amaar Abbas
Executive producer: Samuel Choppara
Cinematography: Raoul Amaar Abbas, Bhumanyu Nehra
Music: Hanif Shaikh
Editor: Ahsan Habib