NADJA’S TRIP: Ports 1961 is channeling old-school glamour with its fall ad campaign featuring supermodel Nadja Auermann.
Lensed by British photographer Rankin, the German model embodies a globetrotting diva in the color and black-and-white pictures, which portray her life on the move and chic attitude.
“I have spent a large part of my life traveling, moving between cities, hotels and countries. Those places can feel temporary, but they also create moments of reflection. When you step away from your everyday surroundings, you often see yourself more clearly. Sometimes movement helps you come home to yourself,” Auermann said.
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The campaign aligns with the nomadic theme of the fall 2026 collection, rooted in the brand’s original ethos, which its founder, Canadian entrepreneur Luke Tanabe, summed up in his often-cited quote: “I dream of having breakfast in the Sahara and dinner in New York.”
In one photograph Auermann is seen walking out of a vintage convertible donning a dramatic coat with integrated scarf pinned to one shoulder by a flat silver brooch. In others she’s looking at her reflection in a mirror — perhaps in an elevator — her slick, bleached bob flipped back as she adjusts a gray double-breasted blazer, or getting ready in cocktail attire, complete with elbow-length gloves inside a hotel room.
“Those moments are often the most authentic. When we are waiting or preparing to leave, we are not focused on performing. We are simply present with ourselves. I think a lot of self-reflection happens in these quiet spaces between one chapter and the next,” the supermodel said.
“We see endless images every day, but very few stay with us. The memorable ones have atmosphere, emotion and authenticity. They capture something that cannot be manufactured. You recognize it immediately, even if you cannot explain why,” she said.
The supermodel, a longtime muse to Karl Lagerfeld and Helmut Newton, first linked with Ports 1961 and its design director Francesco Bertolini back in February, attending the brand’s fall presentation during Milan Fashion Week.
The brand described her as the embodiment of “contemporary elegance rooted in precision, restraint and enduring sophistication.”
Originally inspired by travel, Ports 1961 — the luxury label within the wider Ports portfolio, which also includes Ports Pure and Ports International — is now a full-fledged luxury womenswear label. The parent company is Ports International Enterprises Ltd., which is based in Hong Kong, and is owned by PCD Group.
The brand operates three flagship stores, in Milan, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Bertolini was promoted to his current design director post in 2024, five years after joining the brand. He succeeded Karl Templer, who held the role of artistic director until 2022.
