"What it means to be The Gentle Man."
Dacre Montgomery, an Australian actor and Stranger Things star, is personifying what it means to be The Gentle Man in a campaign from Australian menswear retailer POLITIX.
The new brand platform and integrated campaign developed with Fabric (part of the TBWA\Sydney Group) invites every man to define masculinity as they make it.
The campaign challenges the notion of traditional masculinity: a man of few words who is solely strong, driven and stoic in the face of adversity. Through Dacre’s performance, The Gentle Man redefines masculinity on his own terms – self-assured and stylish, but importantly sincere and selfless – and invites every man to redefine the term to suit their own style.
'The Gentle Man' signals a new era for POLITIX and coincides with the release of their new Autumn/Winter collection. The brand campaign is POLITIX’s first since the brand’s relaunch in late 2022. Dacre Montgomery rose to international fame after landing breakthrough roles as Billy Hargrove in Netflix’s Stranger Things and Steve Binder in Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS.
Montgomery said: “I have played many characters in my career as an actor, but the biggest journey has been learning to be myself. Growing up it felt like the expectations of masculinity were someone that played sport, someone that was more overtly stereotypically masculine – and that wasn’t what I was.
"Thankfully, I had parents who really allowed me to be myself. So, I’ve learned to own my masculinity – and that means expressing an identity that doesn’t need to fit into a box."
Keenan Motto, co-founder and creative partner of Fabric, said: “Exuding a quiet confidence and a passion for expressing himself through style, words and meaningful action, Dacre perfectly embodies what it means to be The Gentle Man.”
Megan Voss, head of marketing at Politix, said: “It’s an exciting time for POLITIX. Since announcing our brand relaunch, Dacre as our new ambassador and appointing Fabric as our new strategic and creative partner.
"Our new Autumn/Winter campaign ‘The Gentle Man’ challenges the notion of new masculinity and what it means to be a man in today’s world and Dacre really brings this to life in an authentic way. We are very excited to bring this campaign to our customers”.
The campaign debuts POLITIX’s relationship with Fabric, after appointing the team as strategic and creative partner in November last year.
Credits:
Client: Politix
Creative Agency: Fabric – Part of the TBWA\Sydney Group
Media Agency: Thinkerbell Production – Bolt
Director: Jason Evans
DOP: Tyson Perkins
Photographer: Nicole Bentley
Music – Electric Sheep
Stylist – Bridie Gilbert
Grade – We Are Crayon
