LL bean recreates vintage catalog covers as photos

in honour of its 100th anniversary, LL bean has brought some of its classic catalog cover art to life as photographs left: 1933 original catalog cover; right: the january 2012 catalog recreation

in celebration of its 100th anniversary, american outdoors and clothing producer LL bean has recreated some of its classic catalog cover art as real life photographs. american photographer randal ford worked with the team at acadia national park in maine to bring the original painting of the 1933 catalog to life.

‘these covers have such a strong storyline,’ reflects creative director vice president marcia minter, ‘[so] the process of creating them was more like directing a movie or a short than it was a typical still photo shoot.‘ a mix of contemporary clothing, vintage pieces, and products from the LL bean archive were used to achieve the right look; and the team sought out a location and lighting that would best resemble the original painting.

keep posted to designboom for the recreated 1956 catalog cover, to be released in late march, and future photo reinterpretations throughout the rest of the year! users are also invited by LL bean to suggest via comments their favourite historical covers for the project on their 100th anniversary blog.

detail view of the photographic recreation of the 1933 cover

behind-the-scenes video footage of the project

the photo shoot was undertaken in acadia national park in maine

via laughingsquid more at maine magazine’s behind-the-scenes interview with the LL bean creative team.