What’s with All the Fruit?
Today on Ad Talk Fridays: A surreal deep dive into Loewe’s floating tomato and Jacquemus’ banana takeover.
I’ve always been fascinated by fashion ads, the way they make you feel something, even if you’re not sure why. Sometimes it’s the styling, the casting, the colors… but other times, it’s something deeper. Like, what’s the story here? Why did they make this? And why can’t I stop thinking about it?
That’s what Ad Talk Fridays is all about. A place where I’ll break down fashion campaigns, from ads to full-scale marketing rollouts, that stuck with me, moved me, made me laugh, or just got me thinking. Whether it’s the strategy, the styling, the cultural context, or just the weird brilliance of it all, this is where we unpack why they work. If it made people click, stop, or feel something, it’s worth unpacking.
This week, I’m looking at two campaigns that couldn’t be more different… yet somehow make perfect sense together: Loewe and Jacquemus. Both are redefining fashion advertising through a surrealist lens, are food-obsessed, and creating entire worlds around a single, strange idea. Let’s unpack it.
Is Loewe Obsessed With Tomatoes?
Almost one year ago, Loewe’s then-creative director, Jonathan Anderson sent fashion Twitter spiraling with a teaser: a tomato-shaped minaudière. Equal parts surreal and sculptural, the clutch stood out in a sea of luxury sameness. But what seemed like a playful one-off accessory became something more. It’s a signal of Loewe’s growing fluency in digital culture and long-form storytelling. The tomato bag was whimsical, bizarre, sculptural… and completely unforgettable.
The tomato narrative wasn’t born in a vacuum. It started with a viral moment on Twitter where a user posted a photo of a hyperrealistic, and completely photogentic, tomato captioning it: “This tomato is so Loewe I can't explain it.” The post took off, racking up over 95K likes and thousands of shares.
Jonathan Anderson embraced the meme. Within days, he reposted it and followed up with a reel of the new tomato clutch. It felt like the internet had willed it into existence. Coincidence? Highly unlikely. Strategic? Absolutely. Memes turned into product drops.
What we’re seeing here is not just clever product design, but real-time cultural listening turned into brand capital. By tapping into digital humor and online aesthetics (without trying too hard), Loewe showed it’s tuned into internet culture in a way that feels natural, not performative.
Comments like “You say tomato, I say Loewe” and “The internet might be fast, but Jonathan Anderson is faster” weren’t just cute, they were indicators of cultural saturation. The tomato wasn’t just an accessory, it was becoming part of the brand’s identity. Loewe didn’t just go viral. They went memorable.
But the campaign didn’t stop there.
The Great LOEWE Tomato Balloon
Earlier this week, the tomato narrative reached new heights. Loewe unveiled “The Great LOEWE Tomato Balloon,” a massive hot air balloon shaped like their now-iconic tomato, soaring over Cappadocia, Turkey’s dramatic terrain. The result was a surrealist spectacle rooted in imagination and location.
This is brand worldbuilding. One object, echoed across time and scale, tied together by Loewe’s signature absurdist elegance. What could have been a one-off product moment has now evolved into a surreal campaign.
What’s most compelling is the cultural resonance of the tomato. Loewe, a Spanish brand, grounds this whimsical campaign in something deeply local. Tomatoes are a staple of Spanish agriculture, cuisine, and tradition. Whether intentional or serendipitous, the connection adds depth. It makes the tomato not just funny or “random,” but relevant.
This is what makes Loewe’s paid media and campaign strategy stand out. They’re not just selling a product, they’re building an ecosystem of storytelling, social virality, and cultural alignment.
What also makes this campaign direction so compelling is its consistency. The tomato is no longer just a bag. It’s a recurring character. A punchline and a poetic motif rolled into one. Loewe is creating a campaign world, not just campaign moments.
In an age of disposable content and fragmented brand storytelling, Loewe is building longevity through absurdity, and it works.
Media Takeaway: Worldbuilding Matters
Loewe’s tomato series shows how brands can stretch a single idea into a multi-phase creative platform. It starts with social listening, pivots with speed, and scales with imagination. This is what happens when you treat ads not as isolated bursts, but as serialized narratives that evolve with your audience and with culture. It’s how you turn a tomato into a brand symbol, and a meme into a moment.
For my fellow marketing professionals, this is a reminder that great campaigns don’t just launch. They unfold. They listen, they layer, and they last.
![Jon Gries Stars in New Jacquemus Campaign [PHOTOS]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZxYq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F464a0dd4-ee3d-4dc2-9d3c-8bb193261230_1000x563.jpeg "Jon Gries Stars in New Jacquemus Campaign [PHOTOS]")
Going Bananas for Jon: Jacquemus Leans into Surrealism with Fruit, Again
Now we all know Jacquemus is no stranger to surrealism. From gigantic shoes, or pretty much gigantic anything, to floating handbags, the French brand has a long history of playfully subverting the fashion campaign formula. But their latest visual saga “Going Bananas for Jon,”proves once again that Jacquemus knows how to create a moment.
Released April 29/30, the campaign stars White Lotus actor Jon Gries, shot in a series of deliberately bizarre poses with one very unexpected co-star: a banana. In every frame, Gries clutches a banana with intention, whether lounging in gray loungewear or holding a sign that screams, “I LOVE BANANAS.” The banana isn’t a prop. It’s the main character.
The Banana-Verse Expansion: Jacquemus’ LA Flagship Store
Before the Going Bananas for Jon campaign dropped, Jacquemus had already set the stage. From April 24–27, the brand opened its Los Angeles flagship store, and true to form, the entire retail experience was immersed in its banana theme.
The interior was a minimalist dream: warm tan tones accented by pops of banana yellow woven through clothing, furniture, and floral arrangements. But it was outside the store that the surrealism really came alive.
Guests were welcomed into a Jacquemus-branded produce market complete with crates upon crates of bananas and bouquets of yellow-hued flowers. In the days leading up to the opening, a banana-shaped car with “Jacquemus” emblazoned across the side cruised through LA alongside a branded cart overflowing with (you guessed it) bananas. “Jacquemus Los Angeles Market” was written across it, turning the streets of LA into a rolling teaser campaign.
It was a playful, location-based rollout. The kind of immersive, tongue-in-cheek marketing we’ve come to expect from this brand. And the result was a full-circle moment where advertising, retail, social media, and product design came together to tell one coherent, surreal story.
But… Why Bananas?
Because bananas are weird. And funny. And unexpected. In other words, perfect for Jacquemus.
We first saw signs of the brand’s banana obsession during the La Croisière runway show in January, when a printed banana dress made its debut. That moment, which may have seemed like a playful one-off, was in fact a quiet foreshadowing of what was to come.
This campaign isn’t about minimalism or timelessness. It’s about moment-making, and giving us a glimpse into the designer’s unique, joyfully strange world. In an industry often weighed down by legacy and formality, Jacquemus offers something different: strategic fun.
Where Loewe gave us a tomato with artisanal gravitas, Jacquemus delivers a banana bursting with absurdist joy. Yet both campaigns sit within the same growing trend: food as surrealist marketing.
It’s whimsical. It’s internet-friendly. And it taps into a deep emotional landscape of nostalgia, play, comfort, and cultural familiarity, all wrapped in clever design.
Media Takeaway: Whimsy Is the New Worldbuilding
Where Loewe transformed a tomato into a brand motif, Jacquemus has gone full fruit basket, using bananas to orchestrate a multifaceted, emotionally resonant campaign. From Instagram reels to retail, every touchpoint was thoughtfully themed and artfully absurd.
Again, this is more than a quirky aesthetic. It's strategic worldbuilding. Jacquemus understands that today’s audiences crave not just aesthetics, but experiences, ones they can interact with, share, remember, and quite frankly, have fun with!
Consistency, humor, and immersion. Jacquemus’ banana era proves that a fashion brand can build deep emotional resonance without taking itself too seriously.
Food is relatable. Food is comforting. Food is forever in style. Jacquemus and Loewe both understand this. And in doing so, they’ve redefined how luxury brands can show up not just as icons, but as personalities.
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