Inspiration: Agent Provocateur unveils Pump It Up campaign

Luxury lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has an established track-record when it comes to creating memorable promotional campaigns (followers of the brand will remember its famous Kylie Minogue and Kate Moss campaigns), and today it has unveiled its latest offering, Pump It Up, which has been inspired by the art of dance.

Styled by Ursina Gysi, shot by Charlotte Wales, choreographed by Danielle Polanco, and set to the soundtrack of late eighties house dance track Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic, the campaign presents women's sexuality as a performance with the emphasis on women's power and body positivity.

The brand's creative director Sarah Shotton explained: “The lyrics, and their meaning of letting go and setting the floor on fire, encapsulate the message of the season and the feeling that AP brings to any situation.

“We really wanted that energy to come across in the campaign, so we hired an amazing troop of 22 female professional dancers. The aim was to showcase a group of talented, strong women with diverse body types.”

In the video to accompany the campaign Kylie Shea performs a high-powered, super-sexy ballet routine, grinding on the floor and hanging seductively from a gymnastics horse, before the action moves to a dance squad performing an erotic aerobics class.

As well as showcasing the spirit and energy of the women concerned (and this is an all-woman production) the campaign also presents AP's lingerie as something that, while luxurious and sexy, allows women the freedom to move and express themselves. 

In the post #MeToo era, presenting a brand that has always been sexy and subversive in the right tone of voice was no doubt a challenge. But by putting this campaign in the hands of women and showcasing the strength of women, AP has risen to that challenge (and has remained unapologetically glamorous while doing so).