Unsanctioned Running Rips Up The Running Photography Rulebook With New Launch
Today, as with every morning, I was getting my usual news and social feed reps in. A routine exercise of scrolling past the saturate of Instagram and X, and avoiding news so bleak that it will inevitably ruin my day. But this time, something caught my eye. Something that broke the tide of my running-skewed socials which have drifted into a sea of sameness in recent years as the sport has mushroomed in marketability.
Step forward Un-Sanctioned Running™. An Australian running brand founded by Carlos Furnari, that prides themselves on creating a responsible and stylish brand that gives back to the environment with the use of recycled and upcycled fabrics, such as used plastic bottles and industrial waste.
The brand recently launched the un-sanctioned™ running Post-Run Essentials range “made for the R-un-Conscious Athlete”. And did so with photography that wasn’t the usual sun-soaked, street running tropes that we’ve become so accustomed to seeing from running brand land. I imagine you already know what I mean, but if not check out this TikTok video by nikkohunt who highlights the blurry, slow shutter speed shots and cliché transitions that seem to appear in every running campaign of late.
Un-Sanctioned however, chose to double down on recovery, and the location this usually takes place - the floor of your own living room, or the dated bathroom you sit in for a post-long run cold soak. With photography by Australian Art Director, Paul Hermes the brand has taken the realities of being an amateur runner and played joyfully with it thanks to their striking set design and choreography.
The clarity of the idea and the quality of the execution is something that needs to be more prevalent as we see more running brand campaigns. Un-Sanctioned founder, Carlos Furnari himself, stating that “Imagery across running brands has started to all look the same. Mostly.” It’s hard to disagree with the lull of creativity that has hit this space, but to keep things upbeat and joyful, here is more imagery from the Un-Sanctioned campaign.
