Paris has made headlines for decades, but so many of those headlines were beyond her control or consent. The consequence was a woman whose character was manipulated and misrepresented. We set out to help Hilton reclaim her narrative beyond the pages of her memoir. Introducing the Statement Pieces Collection through the tabloids that taunted her for so long allowed Hilton to officially reclaimed her story from the media and instead use them to tell her truth. This ignited a larger conversation to illustrate the ongoing misrepresentation of women in media and fight back against societal labels.

Paris Hilton, perhaps more than any other individual in the world, has had narratives crafted around her since the day she was born. A victim of early 2000’s media portrayals, Paris’ image was always an element outside of her control. The party girl, the heiress, the dumb blonde… none of the depictions reflected who she really was.

With the launch of her book, Paris: The Memoir, Paris wanted to take back control of the story from all those who took it from her along the way, from the media to the paparazzi, and share her side of the story.

We needed to find a way for Paris’s words to be the center of attention instead of letting others continue to write her narrative.

Heiress. Party girl. Problem Child. These are the labels the tabloids have given Paris Hilton. To launch her new book, Paris: The Memoir, she decided it was time to own her narrative and make a statement by using the paparazzi’s cameras to tell her story. Statement Pieces is a collection of clothing made with highly reflective material that lights up every time a camera flashes. All she had to do was show up and let the paparazzi do the rest - teasing the launch date and revealing unreleased passages from her memoir. Turning her outfits into a media placement and the tabloids obsession with her into a free marketing campaign.

We knew there would be a groundswell of interest surrounding the memoir launch. We took advantage of the traction to tell a more meaningful story that allowed consumers to understand the real Paris Hilton more deeply, while highlighting the societal judgments woman face on a regular basis, famous or not. The fact that Hilton wore the pieces while on her press tour allowed us to harness the expected media frenzy to create organic conversation around societal labels and her past experiences that went beyond the pages of the memoir. Images of Paris wearing the pieces were distributed to media and available for download, sparking organic intrigue in the apparel and Paris’ story.

We flipped the script on the tabloids who taunted Hilton throughout the 2000s, instead using the paparazzi and unsuspecting moments to unknowingly share portions from her memoir. First, we ensured Hilton was captured in the Statement Pieces Collection throughout her book tour. Paris was photographed from New York City to Los Angeles wearing the custom pieces, including a sold-out book signing at The Grove. Once the entire collection was worn, we revealed the larger collection and inspiration behind the tabloid-inspired apparel line.

$5.4MM Earned Media

11.3 MILLION ENGAGEMENTS

#3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List

Paris Hilton is one of the most photographed celebrities in the world and a constant target of tabloid culture. To launch her book, Paris: The Memoir, we decided to use the media’s obsession with her as an opportunity to tell her story in her own words by turning her outfits into a book tour. Statement Pieces is a collection of clothing made with highly reflective material that lights up every time a camera flashes. All Paris had to do was show up and let the paparazzi’s cameras do the rest – revealing unreleased passages from her memoir everywhere she went.

Paris Hilton is one of the most photographed celebrities in the world. For decades, she has been the target of tabloid culture. Despite being dismissively written her off as “famous for being famous”, Paris has used tenacity, business acumen and grit to build a global empire. Her new book, Paris: The Memoir, tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge.