evian is an iconic global brand, appealing to 20–45-year-old urban elites, who are prepared to pay more for quality. Maintaining evian’s premium positioning is an ongoing task, however, requiring the brand to constantly evolve and align itself with the lifestyle codes of each new generation.

evian is a natural product: snow and rain travel for fifteen years through a natural filtration process. Its parent company, Danone, is passionate about sustainability. Prior to this initiative, it had been pioneering a circular approach to plastic usage, where plastic is kept within the economy and out of nature. The brand has been working for over 30 years to preserve natural surroundings of the source, in an effort to maintain evian’s exceptional quality for generations to come.

The impact of this sustainability innovation will be felt for generations; but how could its story be told in a way that maintained evian’s iconic premium status?

Building upon the 2022 launch of the Balmain x evian couture gown and limited-edition bottle, in April 2023, evian partnered with luxury French fashion house Balmain to launch a capsule collection of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories, relying on materials that are eco-friendly.

Deftly pairing classic sportswear silhouettes with the shades of soft pastels that one immediately associates with Balmain runways, the evian universe and, above all, the joys of summer, Balmain Creative Director Olivier Rousteing and his design team created a series of eye-catching, limited-edition ready-to-wear and accessory designs for the Balmain x evian collaboration. Relying on a wide variety of more conscious practices, materials and innovations, the collection of laid-back styles and accessories places the collaboration’s focus squarely on the powerful possibilities of a future world of fashion sustainability, all grouped under the distinctive tagline of “Together, change is beautiful.”

To ensure success, a comprehensive global media strategy was executed, accompanied by traditional paid media. This included a strategic partnership with Vogue.com and a global influencer program, specifically in the US and France. Additionally, exclusive interview time with Olivier Rousteing was leveraged to secure coverage in premium media titles, alongside hosting simultaneous events worldwide to create an impactful moment at the collection’s launch.

Global brand ambassador Maria Sharapova expanded the campaign’s reach through features in publications including GQ, Glamour US, and SELF, highlighting its impact on conscious fashion.

The campaign aimed to:

1. Drive cultural relevance for the next generation of urban elites.

2. Contribute to the brand’s iconic nature and premium value.

3. Launch the new capsule collection

We needed to drive conversation and generate earned media coverage around the collaboration, by leveraging locally relevant media (with a focus on leading fashion and in-culture titles) and key opinion leaders.

To ensure the success of the collection, we executed a comprehensive 360-degree global media strategy. The collaboration also extended its reach through a global editorial partnership with Vogue.com, further amplifying its impact on the fashion world. Working closely with global creatives, we established a global influencer programme to create content celebrating the campaign’s ethos and achievements, emphasizing the harmony of conscious fashion & artistry.

Leveraging exclusive interviews with Olivier Rousteing, choreographer Leo Walk, and Global Head of Danone Waters, Prinz Pinakatt, we secured in-depth features for the campaign launch in key titles. Additionally, we hosted events in iconic fashion locations, including New York, Montecito, Antwerp and Paris, to unveil the collection. The events served as showcases of the collection, drawing both media and influencer attendance, igniting conversation about conscious fashion. Furthermore, we strategically leveraged global brand ambassador, Maria Sharapova, securing prominent opportunities for her with publications like GQ's "10 Essentials".

The campaign greatly exceeded its objectives. Labelled a ‘a stellar example of how sustainable fashion can reach runway-status while promoting eco-friendly production processes’ by CR Fashion Book and described as ‘eschew[ing] the stereotype of sustainable fashion not being fashionable’ by Hypebeast, the evian x Balmain capsule collection was received with critical acclaim, generating 172 pieces of top tier fashion and global news coverage with a media value of over €6.4M and combined reach of over 2.4 billion.

Campaign coverage conveyed the key messages; sustainability, innovation and culture, while demonstrating evian’s credibility in innovation through pioneering technology, placing evian in cultural conversation and aligning the brand with a premium outlook.