Prada’s holiday campaign looks like a storybook you can step into

Hand-drawn animals, winter clothes, and a little mischief bring familiar Christmas magic to Prada’s Holiday 2026 campaign.

In Prada’s new holiday campaign, a tiny illustrated trio takes an interest in Sadie Sink’s spotted shoe. Elsewhere, a snow lynx eyes a miniature handbag.

Called Drawing Prada: Animated by Hand, the campaign brings Sink, Maya Hawke, Chen Haoyu, Luther Ford, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. into an illustrated winter world. Across short films and photographs, the actors share their surroundings with curious creatures that have their own little adventures to get on with.

A winter fairytale with personality

Veteran animator John Pomeroy leads the artists behind the hand-drawn work. His career includes The Land Before Time and Pocahontas, bringing decades of experience in creating expressive characters to Prada’s holiday setting.

The animals give the campaign much of its charm. They investigate, reach for things, and get distracted by objects that catch their eye. Their small gestures make the scenes feel like moments from a longer story you’ve happened to wander into.

Photographer Glen Luchford helps bring the actors and illustrations together, matching the lighting and perspective across both. The result feels inviting—snowy surroundings, playful encounters, and enough detail to make you pause before moving to the next image.

Layers and shoes worth stealing

Stripes, knitwear, and outerwear mix winter dressing with pieces that feel ready for a holiday gathering.

Hawke wears a brown bucket hat and a striped scarf with a dark skirt and burgundy hosiery. Sink appears in a lilac short-sleeved knit with a jeweled neckline. The combinations offer simple ideas for festive dressing with richer color, a patterned accessory, or a little embellishment to do the work. The campaign is a playful way to show the pieces, giving them a place in the story beyond the usual close-up product shots.

The power of human creativity

We explored a similar appreciation for handmade work in our recent story on Sibatable, the artist who turns designer clothes into edible creations.

Which brings us back to the coined term “effort signaling,” where visible time and skill help communicate care and value. The interest in craft has brought more artists into fashion projects, including Karlotta Freier’s illustrated teaser for Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2026 couture show and hand-drawn animations celebrating Hermès’s London flagship.

Beyond fashion, Oura recently commissioned modelmakers in Prague to build a miniature city for its campaign, complete with working trains and tiny cars. These projects make the process worth watching, too. In a feed crowded with AI-generated imagery, they give audiences people to discover and skills to admire.

With Prada, it keeps that appreciation lighthearted. The knits, winter layers, and playful accessories give the house’s holiday collection a place in this beautifully drawn world. The campaign also joins a welcome movement toward giving artists more room to create. Here’s hoping more brands follow through with work that’s this much fun to look at.

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Watch the campaign ad below: