NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Equinox, the global lifestyle leader, today debuted its short film, LIFE, directed by fashion legend, visionary photographer and SHOWstudio director, Nick Knight, featuring talent across a rich cultural spectrum who represent the brand's boundary-breaking ethos. LIFE celebrates Equinox's continued exploration of the world beyond fitness, re-envisioning Equinox's emblematic "It's Not Fitness, It's Life" mantra. The dynamic, joyful and powerful moments in the film crystallize the meaning of high performance living from the brand who single-handedly created it.
The film, the first in an ongoing season of collaborations between Knight, his fashion platform SHOWstudio and the Equinox brands, showcases the profound influence of fitness on life well beyond the four walls of the club. It portrays the building blocks of life, as envisioned by Knight — love, water, spirit, energy, and light— that ultimately crescendos into an expression of LIFE itself. Equinox's iconic tagline "It's Not Fitness. It's Life.," serves as the centerpiece of the film at a pivotal time for the brand as it continues to expand its lifestyle footprint with the launch of Travel Experiences and Equinox Hotels, among other 2019 initiatives.
"As we continue to lead and disrupt the category we singularly defined, the enduring resonance of "It's Not Fitness. It's Life" is a true testament to the power of our unwavering commitment to empowering our community to maximize their potential," said Vimla Black Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Equinox. "The LIFE film represents our next chapter in defining Equinox's excellence and far-reaching impact that goes beyond our clubs and properties."
At the intersection of culture, fashion, art and movement, LIFE reinforces Equinox's mission to encourage a life lived better across disciplines.
"Knowing that the articulation of LIFE itself is not an easy brief, I was excited to collaborate with Nick Knight because his whole body of work is about using the visual to explain the emotion of a moment or concept," said Elizabeth Nolan, Executive Creative Director, Equinox. "Equinox exists to enable people to maximize the potential within themselves, and the brand has always expressed itself by showing the world an image not of what we do—but of why we do it."
"I was very interested in working with Equinox on the idea of LIFE and what that means, and for me, that was about exploring some of the different building blocks of life—some physical and some more elemental," said Knight. "The Equinox brand and product is all about building and celebrating a life well-lived, and I wanted the work to be representative of that sentiment. Working with a brand over a period of time also allows me to really dig deep and explore with them, and I commend Equinox for taking this approach to creativity."
"The use of movement and dance to embody life as envisioned by Nick Knight is so special," said Ciara. "Every aspect of my life is about leveling up and living my best life as an artist, a performer, a mother or a boss. For me, Equinox means reaching your potential and that's always my goal in all that I do."
The elements of life within the video are represented by inspiring talent who embody the qualities of each component that are interwoven throughout the narrative:
- Spirit — Represented by Grammy Award winning performer Ciara – celebrating her soulful and expressive movement through a powerful and magnetic dance sequence.
- Energy — Professional freerunner and stuntman Chase Armitage, freerunner and parkour athlete Chris Lodge, professional traceuse and freerunner Pam Forster, and parkour athlete and stuntman Joe Scandrett show the explosive and logic-defying kinetic expression of power and grace through movement.
- Light — Iconic model Maria Borges represents light. Knight comments, "I have worked with Maria before and was so impressed by how aware she was of her body and what lighting does to her and how it shapes her." Here she appears as a vision of powerful femininity, forging a path through a futuristic landscape of vivid light and energy.
- Water —Water is brought to life by models Hannah Ferguson and Richard Ampaw. Here the power of the high-performance body and organic life force of water combine in a stunning visual sequence that celebrates strength and beauty.
- Love — To represent love, Knight sought out a couple genuinely in love. He chose his longtime collaborator Jazzelle Zanaughtti - a woman who has redefined the parameters of beauty since Knight discovered her on Instagram - and her partner Sadiq Nasir, to bring full authenticity to the moment. Capturing a stolen embrace between the couple, the scene is the moment of pause in the film, and testament to the inextricable relationship between LIFE and love.
- Life — To represent life, the team turned to acclaimed ballet dancer, Sergei Polunin. As the visual culmination of the film, the dance sequence embodies all the themes that have come before it and with its kinetic energy and emotional power, perfectly captures LIFE in all its forms – bold, brave and empathic. Knight notes, "Sergei is one of the most exciting and mesmerizing dancers in the world, his LIFE story is inspirational he is the perfect finale to embody LIFE as a whole."
- Voice – To embody the voice of LIFE musician Saint JHN delivers the words of the film – unifying and emphasizing the visuals seen on screen to bring the entire vision together.
Additional Credits on the work include:
- Music by Big Wild 'Ascension'
- Movement by Tanisha Scott (Drake, Migos, Sza & Rihanna)
- Styling by Anna Trevelyan (Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Jorja Smith & Mac)
- Makeup by Sir John (Beyoncé)
ABOUT EQUINOX
IT'S NOT FITNESS. IT'S LIFE: Founded in 1991, Equinox was built on the notion that fitness can empower a life well-lived and foster a strong community of high performance individuals. Nearly 30 years later, Equinox continues to lead and disrupt the category it singularly defined, operating 97 full-service clubs globally across major US cities including New York, LA, Miami and San Francisco as well as London, Toronto and Vancouver, each featuring bespoke design in an unparalleled luxury environment. Grounded in the core tenets of Movement, Nutrition and Regeneration and backed by a Health Advisory Board of industry-leading experts across these disciplines, the company offers a holistic approach to fitness, inclusive of Equinox signature group fitness classes, personal training, Pilates, spa services, apparel, experiential travel and food & beverage. In 2019, Equinox will unveil Equinox Hotels as a true culmination of its lifestyle brand promise, redefining the luxury hospitality experience to be a seamless extension of high-performance living. For more information, visit www.equinox.com.
ABOUT NICK KNIGHT
Nick Knight OBE is among the world's most influential and visionary photographers. As a fashion photographer, he has consistently challenged conventional notions of beauty and is fêted for his groundbreaking creative collaborations with leading designers including Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen. He has directed award winning music videos for Bjork, Lady Gaga and Kanye West. His first book of photographs, Skinheads, was published in 1982, winning a DandAD award in 1996. He has since produced Nicknight, a twelve year retrospective, and Flora, a series of flower pictures, both published by Schirmer Mosel. His latest book entitled Nick Knight was published by Harper Collins in 2009. His work has been exhibited at such international art institutions as the Tate Modern, Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, the Photographers' Gallery, Hayward Gallery and the Gagosian Gallery. In 1993, he also produced a permanent installation, 'Plant Power', for the Natural History Museum in London.
A long-standing commitment to experimenting with the latest technologies led to Knight launching his fashion website SHOWstudio in 2000, with an aim, in Knight's own words, of 'showing the entire creative process from conception to completion.' SHOWstudio has pioneered fashion film and is now recognised as the leading force behind this new medium, offering a unique platform to nurture and encourage fashion to engage with moving image in the digital age.
Media Contact:
Alison Rappaport
alison.rappaport@equinox.com
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SOURCE Equinox
