Renaissance Florence meets Mughal capitals at Italian celebrity designer Stefano Ricci’s first India shoot

A journey of discovery into the heart of an India suspended in time, where imperial palaces, untamed nature, silk and spice markets, and cenotaphs are imbued with a deep spirituality: that’s why Italian celebrity designer Stefano Ricci chose India for his campaign shoot. The renowned designer, whose creations are worn by the country’s top businessmen and royalty, chose Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to be the backdrop of the seventh chapter of the SR Explorer campaign.

SR Explorer followed the footsteps of several brands, including the French luxury fragrance and cosmetics brand Guerlain, which shot its campaign in Rajasthan a few years ago. Zegna did the same in Jaipur, again in the same state. 

“India currently represents 4% of our global market, but these figures are set to grow. In fact, alongside our boutiques in New Delhi and Mumbai, we are already considering further expansion,” says Niccolò Ricci, CEO of Stefano Ricci S.p.A. His father, Stefano Ricci, after whom the brand is named, began dressing key figures of the business world as well as several maharajas as early as the 1970s. “It must be said that in major capitals such as London and Paris, there is a strong presence of clients of Indian origin,” Niccolò says.

An ancestral calling, drawing a parallel between Renaissance Florence, the cradle of knowledge, and the ancient Mughal capitals, this mission was not without a few surprises, which made it even more remarkable. “In addition to Agra, known worldwide for the timeless allure of the Taj Mahal and its suspended atmospheres, we designed an itinerary of over 2,000 km. It combines the search for the Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, the stylistic elegance of the City Palace in Jaipur, the sandstone architectural masterpiece of Fatehpur Sikri, the Blue City of Jodhpur, and the lakes of Udaipur,” says the brand’s creative director and Niccolò’s brother, Filippo Ricci. 

The project follows SR Explorer’s 50th anniversary celebration with a landmark event at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt in 2022. After a decade dedicated to showcasing Italy’s cultural heritage through The Great Italian Beauty campaign set in iconic locations, Filippo launched SR Explorer to address sustainability and climate change. This journey takes the Stefano Ricci man to the world’s most remote landscapes in search of his roots and a deeper connection with nature.

The first mission took place in Iceland, where vast glaciers and untouched wilderness provided a striking reflection on the fragility of the planet. This was followed by an expedition to the Galápagos Islands, in collaboration with the Charles Darwin Foundation, to explore conservation efforts in this unique ecosystem with a focus on studying and preserving Giant Tortoises. 

Then, Mongolia became the backdrop for an extraordinary encounter with Eagle Hunters in the Altai Mountains and the vast expanse of the Gobi Desert, where the brand signed an agreement with the Kazakh Falconry Association for the conservation of the Royal Eagle.

This was followed by Cambodia, drawing inspiration from the ancient Khmer culture and finding an agreement with Wild Earth Allies, for the reintroduction of Asian elephants in local forests as well as planting 5,000 trees in degraded areas. 

In Peru, the journey explored the legacy of the Inca civilisation. With a strong commitment to sustainability, the project supports cultural preservation, including funding weaving courses at the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco.

At its core, SR Explorer embodies the philosophy to ‘explore the world to explore ourselves’. “While we were engaged in the mission in Peru six months ago, I began thinking about Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh–the land of kings, which Steve McCurry captured more than 30 years ago through some of his most iconic photographs. Choosing this new journey felt like a natural step,” says the creative director.

Filippo says it was an extremely intense 10 days of production in India. More than 50,000 photographs and three videos were shot in less than a month. “Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. ‘India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition’,” he says, quoting Mark Twain.