CDP picks up 2m Holland & Holland fashion campaign

CDP, the Dentsu Worldwide-owned ad agency, has won the 2m global account to take Mayfair gun manufacturer Holland & Holland into the world of fashion.

Holland & Holland, which supplied the guns for the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, starring Vinnie Jones, appointed CDP after naming the French fashion designer Jose Crevy as its creative director in November.

The quintessentially English, 164-year-old brand was bought by the Wertheimer family, which owns Chanel, in 1989.

CDP won the account after pitching against Leagas Delaney. It will join Crevy in helping to establish Holland & Holland’s lifestyle credentials. The agency is expected to largely focus on the hunting and clothing accessories business.

The company operates four dedicated stores in London, Paris, Los Angeles and New York, in addition to the original flagship store in Bruton Street, London W1.

It plans to open department store concessions to boost its retail presence.

Veronique Leblanc, Holland & Holland’s general manager, says: “We are determined to become a significant player in the international casual fashion market.

“Our brand is underpinned with enormous authenticity and the highest possible product standards.”

The appointment will dismay traditionalists in Britain who feared Holland & Holland would ditch its gun-making roots when it was bought by the Wertheimers.

Chanel said at the time that the company would retain its English management.

However, the first appointment following the takeover was Alain Drach, a French marketer from another Wertheimer-owned company, who became chief executive and chairman.