Duane Michals Photographs Jacob Elordi for Bottega Veneta
A new campaign by Bottega Veneta features actor Jacob Elordi in a series of black-and-white photographs taken by Duane Michals. The project takes its title from Michals’s 1994 image and poem “What Are Dreams.”
This marks the first collaboration under Bottega Veneta’s creative director Louise Trotter, following her debut collection presented during the Milan Spring 2026 shows in September. The campaign was photographed in Michals’s New York home and includes both still images and a short video.
Duane Michals’s Vision and Style
Michals is widely recognized for his “Sequences” series, where he constructs enigmatic narratives captured through consecutive images. These works are often accompanied by his handwritten captions that deepen the storytelling. His art frequently explores themes of identity, introspection, and sensuality.
“My photographs are about questions. They are not about answers.” — Duane Michals
The Meaning of “What Are Dreams”
The 1994 image that inspired the campaign depicts a young man asleep at a table beside a snow globe of New York City landmarks. This photograph was later included in Michals’s 2002 book Questions Without Answers, a collection reflecting his enduring curiosity and poetic visual language.
Summary
Duane Michals’s collaboration with Bottega Veneta blends his signature introspective photography with the brand’s refined aesthetic, using Jacob Elordi’s presence to embody a dreamlike study of youth and vision.