As generative AI continues to flood the internet and advertising with derivative imagery, some luxury houses are betting on human craft for their holiday marketing. Italian fashion house Prada has swapped AI-generated visuals for traditional, hand-drawn illustration in its new Christmas campaign, a move that resonates with audiences increasingly wary of soulless, machine-made content.
The campaign, titled 'Drawing Prada: Animated By Hand,' combines live-action footage with hand-drawn characters and environments. Veteran animator John Pomeroy, known for his work on Disney classics like The Rescuers and The Fox and the Hound, leads a team of artists to bring the animation to life. Each frame is drawn by hand, with live-action scenes photographed by Glen Luchford.
According to a press release, the campaign reflects Prada's core philosophy: “That sense of touch expresses a fundamental notion of humanity, and a connection with craft that always lies at the very heart of Prada’s approach to creation.” The creative direction is overseen by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, with Ferdinando Verderi handling campaign creative direction.
The campaign features a cast of celebrity ambassadors, including Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Chen Haoyu, Luther Ford, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. A behind-the-scenes film accompanies the campaign, in which Pomeroy explains his commitment to traditional technique.
“I learnt my craft with pencil and paper, through traditional, analogue drawing. We’ve remained faithful to that approach and want to pass it on to future generations,” said Pomeroy. “There’s a very distinct and purposeful reason to do hand-drawn animation, and that’s to see that there’s value in it and that hand-drawn and handcrafted work is still alive in the world today.”
A response to AI fatigue
Prada's move comes at a time when other brands are embracing AI, often with mixed results. Coca-Cola's AI-generated Christmas ads faced criticism in both 2024 and 2025, as the brand repeated its approach despite public backlash. In contrast, Prada's campaign feels like a direct response to those still indulging in a technology that threatens human creativity and livelihoods.
The “not-made-by-AI” approach has become a significant selling point. More and more people are growing wary of pervasive AI, and there is a growing backlash against its rise. Younger, digital-savvy generations are beginning to appreciate the value of human creativity, while older generations embrace traditional crafts as a way to push back against soulless imagery.
Prada's campaign has sparked enthusiasm online, with users commenting: "Love it when ads go AI free, much respects to the artists"; "Now this, THIS is how you make an ad"; "Normally not interested in Prada, but I'm reading 'Animated by Hand' and I'm in"; and "Such a breath of fresh air seeing something with soul again."
The campaign is a reminder that something as simple as hand-drawn illustration can still create enthusiasm. It also aligns with a broader cultural pushback against AI, as seen in Geoffrey Hinton's warnings about AI needing human values. For those planning holiday travel, Europe's Christmas market river cruises offer a chance to experience traditional crafts firsthand, while Vilnius's slowest Christmas marathon celebrates a more human pace.
Prada's decision to champion hand-drawn animation is a bold statement in an industry increasingly dominated by cost-cutting and AI-generated content. It signals that, at least for some luxury brands, the human touch remains an essential part of the creative process.
