Vertigo™. Go Vertical. International campaign for Montura.
Pathfinders do things differently. They explore uncharted territories and challenge the unknown. Vertigo is Montura's most advanced line, designed to face the elements. With this project, we wanted to move beyond the traditional codes of outdoor communication and launch the kit with a new, consistent visual language capable of running across every brand touchpoint. We worked on concept, strategy, creative direction and production, defining — together with the Montura team — a new brand narrative and a new design system.
Everything you need in one backpack.
Anywhere, at any time of the year.
Beyond field testing.
To collect real data, we brought the storm indoors. At Eurac's TerraXcube, in the heart of the Dolomites, Vertigo was tested at −40 °C, with winds of up to 100 km/h and a simulated altitude of 5,500 meters. The process was documented by Mattia Balsamini, transforming the research into a visual story.
Phase 1.
The testing protocol.
We worked with three Montura athletes — true legends of mountaineering: Hervé Barmasse, Nives Meroi and Romano Benet. After medical checks, they were equipped with biometric sensors to monitor the body's responses to extreme conditions in real time.
Phase 2.
Weather–ready.
Water, wind, ice. We started with controlled exposure to water: measured liters, precise testing times, humidity regulation. Next we introduced the wind. Rain under pressure, to the point of recreating conditions comparable to a real storm in the laboratory.
Phase 3.
Thermo–adaptive.
Then the temperature dropped. −10 °C, −30 °C, up to −40 °C with windchill. This is where insulation materials and systems must demonstrate their performance.
Phase 4.
Ergo-Fit
To simulate real movement during testing, we used a Technogym treadmill, pushing it beyond the limits it was designed for. Then we modified the air itself. The altitude was simulated, the oxygen levels reduced — breathing became more difficult.
Field-Tested
Indoors & Outdoors.
To describe the tests at the Eurac TerraXCube we developed a long-form video as the main narrative asset. Distributed on YouTube and on the Montura website, it was then divided into chapters to guide digital storytelling on social media. All the content produced fed the brand's content pool, ensuring coherence and continuity on every touchpoint.
Finally, Vertigo has returned to the place it was designed for: the mountains.
Hervé Barmasse linked all the peaks of the Gran Sasso wearing the Vertigo kit, while Nives Meroi and Romano Benet opened a new alpine route on Kabru I, at 7,412 metres. The images created during these undertakings were integrated into a further shooting with the photographer Achille Mauri, giving life to a unified visual narrative, built around a key principle: essentiality.
The Vertigo effect.
Remove, don't add.
The Vertigo effect — a sensation of blur, instability and falling — becomes a visual device to describe verticality and the relationship with the void. Not as a spectacle, but as a real condition of the mountain experience.
From the mountains to the city
The Vertigo campaign was extended to retail, transforming Montura stores into a physical extension of the brand narrative. In the flagships of Rome, Turin, Milan, Padua and Cortina, the language of the campaign has been adapted to the seasonal shop windows, bringing the aesthetics of the mountains into the urban context.
An omnichannel communication.
Montura's communication was constructed as a unitary and coherent story across all channels. From campaign images to product images worn, from static to dynamic content, every touchpoint speaks the same language.
A system of formats, a single idea
The Vertigo keyvisual has been expressed in a variety of formats and contents, from digital to retail. Each adaptation maintains the strength of the idea, guaranteeing recognisability, flexibility and narrative continuity on all channels.
We started by listening, we interviewed the people of the Montura team, together we defined the first concept and the story to tell of Vertigo. The copywriting work guided all productions, transforming words, intentions and values into a coherent and recognizable visual system.
Searching for a New Way. Together.
Produced by Studio Visuale
Studio Visuale
production: Studio Visuale
Creative direction and direction: Francesco Pia
Strategist & copywriting: Roberto Pizzato
Editing: Alice Musi
Art direction and graphic design: Daniele Balcon, Marta Pulin, Leonardo Gava
Animations: Marta Pulin
Voice Over: Francesca Boomsma
Sound Design and mixing: Nicola Gualandris
Music: Federico Laini
Montura
Nothing would have been possible without the precious help and trust of the entire Montura team: Marco Nani, Marco Busa, Lucia Soler, Giulia Gamba, Leonardo Fumagalli, Daniele Conzatti, Antonio Frizzo, Jacopo Brunello, Edoardo Civiero.
Shooting Xterra Cube
Terra The tests and development were also conducted with the legends: Nives Maroi, Romano Banet.
Light and photography: Mattia Balsamini with Teo Zanin
Video crew (in climatic chamber): Francesco Pia, Francesco Mansutti and Piergiorgio Grande
Photo worn and timelapse: Nadia Moro with Filippo Guerra
Talents: Quinda Verheul, Andrea Agostini, Diletta Draw
Special thanks also go to the friends of Technogym: Ermanno Tasca, Alessandro Farid Attoui, Giulia Magnani. It was incredible to see the skillmill working at those temperatures.
Shooting Mont Blanc
Alpinists: Hervé Barmasse and Mara Silla
Photo shooting: Achille Mauri with Filippo Solaro
Video shooting: Filippo del Zanno and Agostino Chiarucci
Guides: Laurant Nicoletta, Matteo Pellin.
Shooting in location
Additional footage was acquired in the testing phases and in the adventures of the Montura team of mountaineers involved in the project, I report here the main exploits:
Hervé Barmasse in Patagonia in the first winter ascent of the Aguja de l'S together with Martin Castrillo, Herve Barmasse in the first integral traverse of the Gran Sasso, Nives Meroi and Romano Benet in the opening of a new alpine route in 7,400m in Kabru I.
