To launch the Fuji Xerox Versant 2100 digital printer in an innovative and immersive way, an elaborate and experiential campaign was created to showcase the printer’s capabilities.

It was called The Haus of Versant, taking the product and audience out of the drab, functional office environment and putting them under the lights of the flamboyant and glamorous world of high fashion. And while it took the industry out of its comfort zone, this campaign achieved an incredible ROI in its first 3 months alone.

The story began with a personalised dimensional DM piece from flamboyant French designer, Alfonso Langoustine Versant, Artistic Director of The Haus of Versant who had created a collection of haute couture printed entirely on paper. And to ensure he got the best possible quality, he had worked with Fuji Xerox to design the ‘Versant’ 2100 digital printer.

The mail-out contained a bespoke box housing a ‘look-book’ filled with Versant’s musings, philosophies and diary entries; a personal invitation to his Fashion Collection de Papier runway show; and a personalised lanyard - all printed on the Versant 2100. To RSVP to the show, recipients visited a personalised webpage.

To take this idea through to a launch night, students of a local fashion school created garments based around the Versant character and the pages within the look-book. They used the Versant 2100 to produce printed outfits that models would then exhibit on a catwalk as the launch night’s main event.

After an exhaustive talent search, an actor was cast to portray Alfonso Versant, delivering a scripted welcome speech and show commentary.

At the event, attendees were invited to vote for their favourite ensemble. The students with the most votes were awarded scholarships from Fuji Xerox and mentoring from local designers.

This multi-channel campaign changed the way new printing technology was presented to its audience. Instead of sending out a brochure containing a series of unrelated, brightly coloured images, a theme was created that would bring this radical new printer to life and position it as a creative tool rather than a just an oversized, glorified photocopier.

Fuji Xerox was so impressed by the art direction of these garments that they had them shipped to Fuji Xerox HQ in New York City for display. They were then sent to the offices of Bangkok and Sydney and are now on permanent display.