Prada’s holiday cast includes a snow lynx that was drawn one frame at a time.
The Italian house has just released its 2026 holiday campaign titled "Drawing Prada."
Here, actors Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Chen Haoyu, Luther Ford, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. are placed in winter scenes next to creatures drawn entirely by hand.
Animator John Pomeroy directed the animation, and photographer Glen Luchford shot the live-action footage, matching light and perspective so the actors and drawings seem to share the same space.
Pomeroy has worked on "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too,""Pocahontas," and "Fantasia 2000," making him a fitting choice for a house with long ties to cinema.
The approach also supports Prada’s brand identity, which has made various film references in its campaigns over the years.
"It was an absolute honor to have Prada ask me to direct this series of 2D animated films for their 2026 holiday campaign," Pomeroy said, per WWD.
"The merging of our two art forms took our combined creativity to the next level."
Prada also released a behind-the-scenes video that shows the techniques behind the work.
In it, Pomeroy explained why the team chose pencil over software.
"There’s a very distinct and purposeful reason to do hand-drawn animation," he shared.
For him, this style hopes to prove there’s still value in it, and that "hand-drawn and handcrafted work is still alive in the world today."
Hand-Drawn Creatures Meet Live Action
Pomeroy started each character by working out what it wants.
A snow lynx eyes a mini Avoir handbag, and a group of mice stares at black-and-white dotted shoes.
Light shapes the mood throughout, most clearly in a scene where the glowing embers of a fireplace warm the space around Sink.
Prada’s new campaign! They hired Legendary ex-Disney artist John Pomery and even used his process sketches in the campaign🥹 https://t.co/o3thhfG4wq
— Outlander Magazine (@StreetFashion01) October 27, 2026
Motion gets the same attention, down to a snowball drawn flying into the nylon backpack Harrison Jr. wears.
Every frame was drawn by hand, a slow process in an era when computer-generated animation dominates studio work.
Once the animation was finished, the creatures were placed into Luchford’s photographed scenes, where the live-action lighting echoes the drawn lighting.
Each creature points to a product, letting the story keep the collection in view without a conventional product shot.
The styling around them shows the winter collection, including technical outerwear, candy-colored stripes, and occasion-ready knitwear.
Pencil Lines as Proof of Effort
Prada’s own numbers explain the stakes.
The Prada Group reported 2025 net revenues of €5.718 billion, up 9%, yet retail sales at the Prada brand fell 1%, according to the group’s full-year results.
This campaign also follows earlier efforts that kept physical work in view.
"Image of an Image" had artist Anne Collier present photographs held in human hands, while Luchford also shot the holiday 2025 campaign, "A Winter’s Tale."
Audiences are paying attention to how images get made.
A Harris Poll, 4As, and Infillion study presented at Cannes Lions found that 73% of consumers would be less likely to trust an ad they suspected was made with AI.
Meanwhile, Canva’s 2026 marketing and AI report found that 74% are more likely to buy from an ad they believe humans created entirely.
Prada is not alone in showing the work behind a campaign.
Disney’s film titled "Once a Princess. Always a Princess" similarly used handcrafted miniature castles, custom puppets, and hand-painted backdrops, with Alex Prager directing.
Authenticity and visible human effort have become a form of marketing currency, and Prada is spending it on a holiday collection.
Three takeaways stand out for marketers with this campaign:
- Show the labor on screen: The behind-the-scenes video and frame-by-frame drawing give audiences evidence that people made the work.
- Tie every detail to a product: The lynx eyes a handbag, and the mice study a pair of shoes, so each drawn character points back to the collection.
- Ground a new medium to a familiar voice: Luchford’s lighting links the drawings to Prada’s existing look, which keeps a fresh technique recognizable.
Ultimately, we believe handmade production gives luxury brands a visible reason for shoppers to value what they are paying for.
Our Take: Can Prada Be Warm Without Losing Its Edge?
Prada built its name on a cool, slightly deadpan point of view, so hand-drawn cartoon characters are a real change of mood.
However, we think it works because the drawings are strange enough to belong to the house.
Not only that, they prove that the house finds value in authenticity, craftsmanship, and hard work in an age where AI encourages shortcuts.
We'd even argue that Prada's commitment to real creativity is the product, and Pomeroy’s team gave it faces.
We will be watching whether Prada keeps this all-human approach for its seasons to come.
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