Is that Beyoncé in Alexander Wang’s new campaign? In its latest Instagram ad, Alexander Wang showcases celebrity impersonators endorsing their Ricco handbags.
Here’s a portion of the explanation if you’ve ever wondered how those TikTok celebrities who look like celebrities make money. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, and Ariana Grande doppelgängers were hired by Alexander Wang to promote the relaunch of their 2010 hit handbag, the studded Rocco, which is now renamed the Ricco.
For a brief moment, 1.6 million people who saw Alexander Wang’s most recent Instagram reel on May 20 may have believed that Kylie Jenner, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Ariana Grande had teamed up to promote one of the designer’s bags.
Naturally, though, they didn’t.
Instead, to highlight the well-liked product, the brand enlisted four well-known social media stars for their occasionally startling, occasionally uncanny resemblances to A-list stars.
“100% certified authentic Ricco back in stock 5.22,” the designer captioned an Instagram Reel last week that featured a bevy of celebrity impersonators showing off the Alexander Wang Ricco flap bag ($1,050).
The advertisement featured Taylor Swift’s double Ashley Leechin, Beyoncé’s doppelgänger SurB, Taylor Madison—who looks a lot like Kylie Jenner—and Ariana Grande doppelgänger Paige Niemann.
Wang’s black leather bag with pebbles was held up to the camera in the Reel by each “star,” showcasing the edgy style’s silver bottom with studs and adjustable strap.
The imitators were committed to the bit, with Niemann wearing Ariana’s signature blond high ponytail with a sequined dress and SurB sporting a very “Levii’s Jean’s”-inspired denim-on-denim look.
The models showcased the “100% certified authentic” handbag.
Reactions to the marketing campaign have been mixed, with some criticizing it and others calling it problematic.
“We aimed to experiment with the concept of deepfakes, investigating the various realities present in the digital environment,” representatives of Alexander Wang explained to Business Insider in response to the backlash.
“Imitation is the best form of flattery, after all.”
Paige Niemann has 10.3 million followers, and Ashley Leechin has 1.9 million followers. Taylor Madison also brings in 855,000 TikTok followers to add to 69,000 followers from SurB.
