Helmut Lang is putting a new spin on fall colors. In a new short film directed by Alex Leese, the brand offers a message of empowerment to redheads—whose ruddy hair color, however prized in nature, has historically been a site of schoolyard taunting (at least in the U.K.). 

However inexplicable the anti-ginger sentiment may seem to Americans, Europe’s redheaded community has developed solidarity-building traditions like the annual Redhead Days Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands, to which Leese traveled for the fashion short. It was there that the filmmaker assembled a cast of gingers of all stripes, showing that confidence is the hottest accessory around. 

In addition to capturing the recessive-gene-filled festival, the film debunks the conventional wisdom that redheads can’t wear red: The cast, who reflect ages 12 to 65, is seen sporting the most striking red hues from Helmut Lang’s AW19 collection.   

 See “HELMUT LANG REDHEADS” below!