The school hallways in the new campaign by UGG resemble music rehearsals and art studios more than spaces between two classes. The campaign starts from the moment when pupils and students, before the beginning of a new school year, once again shape the way they want to look and be seen.
At the centre is the alternative pop band Muna, which appears in content filmed at Santa Monica High School alongside young artists, creators and students. Creative direction is signed by Tastebuds Creative, while the school environment was used as a place for experimenting with music, animation, fashion, illustration and other creative disciplines.
The band enters the campaign following the May release of its fourth studio album Dancing on the Wall. Its public identity and long-standing engagement with themes of individuality and queer experience give a more concrete framework to the message about confidence and freedom of expression.
Alongside Muna, an important part of the project is made up of students from art and design schools in the United States and Canada. Through an ambassador programme, they will present their own interpretations of UGG pieces, using disciplines such as animation and printmaking. Among the participating institutions are Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The campaign also presents the new Ultra Mini Bailey Bow model, whose bow-shaped detail joined the offering in July. Paid distribution includes Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and Pinterest.
UGG expanded the creative theme beyond advertising as well. The brand continued its year-round partnership with Queer Art, which supports LGBTQ+ artists through grants, programmes and community building, and donated funds to Chicxs Rockerxs South East Los Angeles, an organisation focused on music, mentorship and social justice.
From 1 August, customers who spend at least 150 dollars in selected stores will be able to receive a special-edition colouring book and a pack of crayons, while students through the Unidays platform, and teachers through SheerID, will be entitled to a ten per cent discount.
Instead of reducing back-to-school to a list of new things, UGG presented it as a period in which clothing and footwear take part in shaping identity. The products are therefore not singled out as the main motif of the campaign, but placed within a world that already belongs to music, art and student culture.
