In celebration of 110 years of car manufacturing, Vauxhall has commissioned Katy England, one of the world's leading fashion stylists, to create a short film, Made In England, exploring all that is great about British style and design. The video follows a lone driver as he travels across Britain encountering different youth movements along the way, from council estate BMXers to indie club kids. So, 'why should I care about all this?' you ask? Well, read on and I'll tell you.
1. The film features a lone guy driving around, saving people. First off, he stops down a moonlit country lane to take in a runaway teenager. Then, we see him rescue a young lad from a gang of BMX wrong uns. I'm not saying this guy's Batman, or some sort of Ryan Gosling-esque vigilante, but he's certainly the sort of mysterious hero we want to be when we're older.
2. The film was directed by Katy England, who's previously worked alongside Alexander McQueen and has styled Kate Moss. Pretty impressive, right? Well, it's especially impressive when you consider 'Made In England' is Katy's first film. As car design plays a huge role in style and trends, it was a great fit to give the project to someone with as much experience in the world of fashion. What we're left with is a film full of great visuals and forward-thinking style.
Here's what Katy had to say about the project, 'Driving can be such a liberating feeling, listening to your own music, playing it as loud as you want, time away from the rest of the world where nobody can reach you. It's an empowering feeling. The film is also a celebration of youth and the Vauxhall Ampera is a catalyst to see this beautiful ideal.'
3. All of those pretty people you see in the film are real people. That's right, no actors, no models, just people like you, plucked straight from the streets. Basically, there's hope for us all.
4. The film was sound-tracked by Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, who just so happens to be Katy England's husband (bit of a coincidence that, eh?). At the moment, the soundtrack is only available as an accompaniment to the film, so next time you have everyone round, we suggest projecting the film onto a wall to really feel like you're among the action.
5. The film is the product of a huge company who really want to engage with the youth of Britain. It's a refreshing approach from a leading car manufacturer, especially when so many companies seem to not care about us, the people who put them where they are in the first place, so it's nice to get something back. Mark Adams, Vice President of Design at Vauxhall elaborates, "Made in England was commissioned to delve into British youth culture, allowing us to really engage with and understand British fashion and culture tribes. Our vehicle designs are a product of research and development, so it is key for us to understand the people who are driving Vauxhall cars now and into the future. 'Made In England' and Katy's vision helps this education. It's a fascinating project we're really proud to share."
So, there you go.