Can you call this a comeback? I mean, Freja never really left the fashion conscious aside from missing a few catwalks here and there. And granted, her campaign count last season wasn't the highest, but she's always had steady editorial work and some campaigns each season. So maybe this is a resurgence?
Last year Freja seemed to be pigeon-holed as the androgynous girl. Anytime someone was shooting something that needed a masculine edge, Freja seemed to get the job and to be honest, it was growing tiresome. I felt that her potential and versatility were being stifled by the bad-girl image that comes along with chopping off your hair and getting multiple, visible tattoos. But maybe this Gap campaign is signaling a shifting role for Freja within the industry--a role that sees her returning to the commercial sphere that she first occupied when she started her career, as that was the last time she had a Gap campaign.
Yet this commercial role does not preclude her involvement in high fashion. One of my favorite aspects about Freja is that her face adapts to both extremes of the fashion industry so beautifully. She can stand out enough to sell high end clothing in the pages of Vogue Italia. And she can exude the commercial appeal that brands like Gap depend upon in order to sell to a wide audience. Her campaign list this season is absolutely proof positive of this.
So yes, definitely a resurgence! A clear statement to the industry that says Freja is more than androgyny and tattoos. Now the question in my mind is, who is behind all of this? Is Freja the active agent of this change, or is it her agency? Times are definitely tough, and there is no doubt that Freja is one of the top girls and therefore one of the top money-makers at IMG. We all noticed last season that she appeared to be growing her hair out, and longer hair usually means more commercial viability. Do I sense some pressure from the top? Especially during this recession where it seems like not a day goes by without news of a store closing, a magazine folding, or a brand downsizing? It's no secret that Freja is a fan of shorter hair and that she had been wanting to cut hers off for a very long time before she actually did.
But enough of my postulating now. Maybe I'm just full of shit. Sometimes I'm just a jumble of thoughts and you, dear readers of this blog, are the unfortunate victims of my verbosity. If you've made it this far you definitely deserve these old Gap campaign pictures.
Image Credits: All taken from Freja's old thread at tFS
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